DHANBAD, Oct. 19 -- Production at Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) was severely disrupted after displaced apprentices and other organisations blocked all entry gates, prompting the district administration to impose prohibitory orders and intervene to restore access to the plant. The administration subsequently opened the main gate and introduced one-way traffic up to the administrative building to facilitate the movement of employees and vehicles. According to a production report available around 2.30 pm on Saturday, major units, including blast furnaces, the sinter plant and Steel Melting Shops (SMS-I and SMS-II), had stopped functioning because workers could not reach their workplaces. The plant management estimated potential financial losses at approximately Rs.30 crore per day. The management also raised concerns over industrial safety, citing the disruption of normal operations at the sensitive facility handling molten metal, high temperatures and industrial gases. It said employees stranded inside the plant for more than 18 hours were facing shortage of food and drinking water. No gas leak or industrial accident had been confirmed, but the management warned that prolonged disruption could make compliance with safety protocols increasingly challenging. Chas sub-divisional magistrate Pranjal Dhanda imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, within 200 metres of the plant's main gate from 5 am on Sunday until further orders. The order prohibits gatherings of five or more people, processions, rallies, meetings and demonstrations in the restricted zone, besides carrying firearms, traditional weapons and digging tools. Magistrates and police personnel have been directed to enforce the restrictions and ensure unobstructed movement. The administration, however, clarified that peaceful protests would be permitted near Two Tank Garden, away from the restricted zone. The Visthapit Apprentice Sangh heading the agitation is demanding employment for displaced apprentices and a resolution to their long-standing recruitment concerns. Efforts to resolve the deadlock through discussions involving plant management and district officials has not yielded a breakthrough. The administration appealed to the protesters not to block plant gates, stressing that uninterrupted industrial operations and essential services were in the public interest. Meanwhile, BSL and Steel Authority of India Limited management urged the state administration to facilitate the restoration of normal operations....