Bhandara Ordnance Factory blast indicates 'gross negligence, criminal apathy': MP Sudama Prasad

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) Communist Party of India (ML-Liberation) MP Sudama Prasad has said the blast at the Bhandara Ordnance Factory, which claimed eight lives, indicated "gross negligence and criminal apathy", and sought Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's immediate intervention.

The Arrah MP also said engaging trade apprentices in the production procedure is a major violation of Trade Apprentice Act and the officials involved in the process should be booked.

Eight workers were killed and five others injured in the blast that ripped through the LTPE (Low Temperature Plastic Explosives) building in the Jawahar Nagar area of Bhandara around 10.40 am on Friday.

In a letter he wrote to Singh on January 26, Prasad said, "Please note, such accidents repeatedly happened in different ordnance factories in the last three years during the post corporation of OFB.

"This tragic incident is a pointer of gross negligence and criminal apathy towards maintaining proper safety measures on the part of the management, and it has come to our notice that some trade apprentices have either lost their lives or succumbed serious injury in the blast," Prasad said in his letter.

"Engaging trade apprentices in the production procedure is a major violation of Trade Apprentice Act and the officials involved in the process should be booked as per the rule," he said.

He demanded Rs 1 crore compensation to the deceased and Rs 50 lakhs to the injured employees and trade apprentices. He also said employment should be given to the next of the kin of the deceased or of those who are critically injured and can't work after recovery.

He said to prevent such accidents in future, trade apprentices should not be engaged in production procedures, and fixed-term workers should not be engaged in dangerous production procedures in the future.

"Stop employing lesser work forces and pressuring them to meet unjustified production targets set by the management. Take necessary action for permanent employment on a permanent job for a trade apprentice," he said.

He also said the deceased employees and trade apprentices should be treated as martyrs. PTI AO TAS TIR TIR