The Ministry of Power constituted a Committee to investigate the causes of the accident on 1 November 2017 at Feroze Gandhi Thermal Power Plant, Unchahar, in Uttar Pradesh. Who was appointed as the Chairman of this Committee?

Introduction / Context:
On 1 November 2017, a serious accident occurred at the NTPC run Feroze Gandhi Thermal Power Plant at Unchahar in Uttar Pradesh, resulting in many fatalities and injuries. In response, the Ministry of Power, Government of India, set up a high level Committee to investigate the causes of the accident and to suggest measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. This question asks for the name of the Chairman of that Committee, which is a factual detail drawn from contemporary national news and official announcements.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The accident took place on 1 November 2017 at Feroze Gandhi Thermal Power Plant, Unchahar.
The Ministry of Power constituted an investigation Committee after the accident.
We need to identify the person appointed as Chairman of this Committee.
The options list four different names, each with an honorific prefix.
We assume that the officially notified Chairman is correctly reflected in standard current affairs sources.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is purely factual recall. Such questions reward candidates who follow important safety related industrial accidents and read the follow up measures taken by the Government. The Chairman of the Committee was an experienced technical expert, Shri P. D. Siwal, whose appointment was specifically mentioned in press releases. By eliminating names that do not match this role or are not associated with the Ministry of Power’s technical bodies, we can identify the correct option.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that after the Unchahar accident, the Ministry of Power announced a Committee of senior officials and technical experts. Step 2: The news reports repeatedly named Shri P. D. Siwal as the Chairman of this Committee. Step 3: Compare the options given: Dr. L. D. Papney, Shri Dhawal Prakash Antapurkar, Shri Subir Chakraborty and Shri P. Siwal. Step 4: Recognise that the name which matches the Chairman is Shri P. Siwal, which corresponds to Shri P. D. Siwal in full. Step 5: Therefore, the correct answer is option D, Shri P. Siwal.

Verification / Alternative check:
The candidate can verify this by remembering the pattern that usually, investigations into major power plant accidents are led by senior engineers or members of the Central Electricity Authority. Official press releases from the Ministry of Power after the accident explicitly mention Shri P. D. Siwal as the Committee’s Chairman. Checking any standard current affairs compilation for late 2017 would confirm that Shri P. Siwal headed the investigation.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (Dr. L. D. Papney) is incorrect because he was not named as the head of the accident investigation Committee at Unchahar.
Option B (Shri Dhawal Prakash Antapurkar) is incorrect since this person did not serve as Chairman of the Committee in question.
Option C (Shri Subir Chakraborty) is also incorrect because he was not associated as the head of this particular probe, even though people with similar names may hold other technical or managerial positions elsewhere.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent difficulty in such questions is that the names are not widely known outside the specific sector, and all options look similar as formal Indian names. Candidates may resort to guessing. To reduce such guesswork, it helps to note that exam setters usually choose the exact spelling that has appeared in press releases. Remembering at least one or two key names associated with each major incident can significantly increase accuracy in current affairs questions.

Final Answer:
The Chairman of the Committee set up to investigate the Unchahar power plant accident was Shri P. Siwal (often written in full as Shri P. D. Siwal).