Minister Blames Company For Factory Blast That Killed 19
“The company will give a compensation of Rs 75 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and Rs 25 lakh to the injured persons”: Mr. Bawankule
MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday held SBL Energy Limited responsible for the factory blast that claimed the lives of 19 workers. He alleged that safety norms were not followed at the facility and said that, prima facie, there appeared to be negligence on the part of the company.
At least 19 persons, including 14 women, were killed and 18 others critically injured in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory at Katol in Nagpur district on Sunday morning.
Mr. Bawankule said the primary report (by safety agencies) has indicated “negligence” on the part of the SBL Energy Limited. “Apart from the company, accountability will be fixed on officials of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) and the labour commissionerate, and if found guilty, cases will be registered against them,” he said.
The police have registered a case against 21 directors and shareholders of the SBL Energy Limited under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. They have arrested nine directors of the explosives manufacturing company in connection with the incident.
According to police, between 7 and 8:30 am, powerful explosions occurred one after the other in the company’s non-ferrous crimping units. There were 36 workers present in the unit at the time of the incident. The intensity of the explosions was so terrible that they were heard for several kilometers triggering panic in the surrounding locality.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also announced that the Maharashtra government would provide Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
“The company will give a compensation of Rs 75 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and Rs 25 lakh to the injured persons,” Mr. Bawankule said.
