Minister flags lack of safety at Nagpur explosives unit where blast killed 19; company MD held

Nagpur, Mar 2 (PTI) A day after a powerful blast at a detonator making unit in Nagpur district killed 19 workers, a senior Maharashtra minister on Monday said prima facie there was "negligence" on the part of the private company operating the facility as it failed to follow safety measures.

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule insisted that besides the firm, SBL Energy Ltd, accountability for the tragedy will also be fixed on officials of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) and the labour commissionerate.

Speaking separately, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pitched for 100 per cent automation of certain protocols and processes in manufacturing of explosives, and said the SBL Energy's managing director was among nearly a dozen people who have been arrested in connection with the blast.

At least 19 workers died and 23 others were injured in the blast at the detonator assembly unit of SBL Energy, a mining and industrial explosives manufacturer, at Raulgaon in Katol tehsil of Nagpur district on Sunday morning. Eighteen of the workers died on Sunday and one succumbed on Monday.

The PESO, DISH and the labour commissionerate have failed to ensure safety practices in explosive manufacturing units in the region, and their accountability must be fixed, Bawankule told reporters in Nagpur.

Of the injured persons, 13 were in critical condition, the Nagpur district guardian minister stated.

He informed that the company will pay a compensation of Rs 75 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and Rs 25 lakh to every injured person. Besides, the state government will provide Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased, while the Centre will give Rs 2 lakh.

Thus, the families of the deceased will get a total compensation of Rs 82 lakh each, Bawankule said, adding a rehabilitation package will be drawn up for those who suffered physical disabilities in the tragedy.

He held a meeting with state minister Ashish Jaiswal, Ramtek MP Shyamkumar Barwe, Katol MLA Sharad Singh Thakur, the divisional commissioner, district collector, superintendent of police, and officials of PESO and DISH in connection with the blast.

Police have registered a case against 21 directors and shareholders of SBL Energy under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, officials said.

Bawankule said the primary report (by safety agencies) has indicated "negligence" on the part of the explosives company and flagged that safety measures were not followed properly at the unit.

A detailed report is expected in a month, the revenue minister added.

He said it was decided in the meeting that apart from the company, accountability will be fixed on PESO, DISH officials and the labour commissionerate.

They have not followed inspection duties and implemented safety measures properly in the last couple of years. Hence, the divisional commissioner, Nagpur collector and SP will fix responsibility and if needed, cases will be registered against officials of the safety agencies, Bawankule maintained.

Speaking to reporters after visiting some of the injured persons admitted to a private hospital in Nagpur, Chief Minister Fadnavis said an FIR has been registered against 21 people in connection with the blast and 11 of them, including the SBL Energy's managing director, have been arrested.

He said it has been observed that even slightest human error triggers accidents and advocated full automation of certain operations at explosives manufacturing facilities to prevent tragedies in the future.

The state government will study this technological aspect and prepare a detailed report which will be sent to the Centre for consideration, the CM maintained.

Fadnavis noted that rules regulating such sensitive establishments date back to 2008, while technology has undergone a sea change since then. Hence, there is a need to have a relook at protocols governing these units.

Fadnavis maintained his government will conduct a study on whether certain protocols and processes in manufacturing of explosives could be made 100 per cent automated.

"We will approach the central government with the findings of the study and its suggestions. There was a need to consider full automation of some processes as explosives are highly inflammable and even a minor human error can cause an accident and endanger lives of people," he stated.

Meanwhile, bodies of 12 of the 19 workers killed in the blast were handed over to their families for last rites after completing DNA matching, an official said.

The badly charred bodies of 18 of these workers were kept for DNA analysis and identification at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Nagpur.

The senior official told PTI that 12 bodies have been handed over to relatives of the deceased after completing DNA matching and the remaining six will be given to families tonight itself.

The 19th worker succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital and hence his identity was not in doubt, he said.

According to the official, compensation announced for relatives of the deceased workers have been disbursed. PTI CLS GK RSY