Special Investigation Team confirms gas leak from inside KMML factory

Kollam: The special investigation team probing the gas leak at the Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. at Chavara has confirmed that the leak was from the plants in the factory, contradicting the claims of the factory management. The team detected the presence of toxic gases in the air near the schools from where around 120 students were hospitalised. The plant will be operated for 30 hours to check the gases emitted while the factory is operational.

Around 20 employees, including engineers responsible for the operation of the plant, were questioned. The expert committee led by ADGP A.

Hemachandran examined the school premises and residential areas. The team has also found chances of “human error” in containing the leak from the valves of the plants. The possibility of a sabotage attempt by external agencies and the laxity of the employees that caused the accident are also being probed.

Kollam MP N.K. Premachandran, after visiting the KMML, said the sabotage angle could not be ruled out since Tamil Nadu and other vested interests in the state had an eye on the black sand in Kerala. “The industries department should be more careful about KMML,” he added.

A special medical team that examined the children admitted to the hospitals submitted a report to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Principal the other day saying that they had recovered.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan has demanded a CBI inquiry into the involvement of private lobbies in the incident. A high-level meeting on the issue will be conducted on August 12 by the Industries Minister to discuss the reports submitted by the expert committees.

• The team detected the presence of toxic gases in the air near the schools from where around 120 students were hospitalised.
• The possibility of a sabotage attempt by external agencies and the laxity of the employees that caused the accident are also being probed.