A veil of secrecy surrounds industrial accidents in two public sector units as the managements concerned are loathe to share information. BusinessLine had sought copies of detailed investigation reports of accidents at NTPC and SAIL plants last year under RTI. However, in both cases, the information was denied under Section 8.1 of the RTI Act.
Section 8.1 of the RTI Act primarily deals with denial of information if it compromises trade secrets, security, sovereignty and integrity of the country.
Last month, the newspaper had sought a copy of a detailed investigation report under RTI about a devastating accident in which nine people were at SAIL’s flagship plant in Bhilai on October 9, 2018, during a scheduled maintenance. The RTI application was filed on February 10, keeping in mind the customary 90-day investigation period in such serious matters.
