Nagpur factory blast: Oppn alleges safety lapses; exploitation of workers

Opposition in Maharashtra on Monday alleged safety lapses at Nagpur company following a blast that claimed nine lives a day before reported the PTIThe Opposition alleged that there were lapses in ensuring the safety of workers and demanded action against Industrial Safety Department officials following the Nagpur factory blast as per the PTIRaising the issue in the Legislative Council they also said workers at the factory have been exploited for long and not paid minimum wages as per normsA Congress MLC said that the similar incidents had happened in the company in the past while opposition leader Ambadas Danve Shiv SenaUBT said mandatory safety drills were not conducted according to the PTIAmbadas Danve demanded a report from the Nagpur district collector to fix accountability and demanded action against officials concerned from the Industrial Safety DepartmentAs many as nine people were killed and three others seriously injured in a massive blast at the explosives manufacturing factory in Chakdoh in Nagpur district on SundayCongress MLC Shashikant Shinde moved a point of information in the legislative council where he spoke about the safety record of the factory the news agency reported on MondayThis isnt the first time that an explosion occurred in the company There were two such incidents in the past Shashikant Shinde said the PTI reportedReferring to the Rs 20 lakh compensation announced by the company to the victims and Rs 5 lakh by the state government Shinde wondered whether the government is placing a monetary value on the lives of innocent peopleAround 4000 workers are employed on a daily wage basis in the company on a meagre Rs 10000 per month he said and demanded permanent employment for them the news agency reportedAmbadas Danve who visited the blast site said the bodies of the deceased were dismemberedMandatory safety drills had not been conducted at the company and even officials from the industrial safety department were denied access to the premises he saidAmbadas Danve said that the workers at the factory were forced into early morning shifts after working late the previous nightAnother Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap said while the minimum wage is Rs 12000 in Maharashtra the company was paying only Rs 10500 per month to the workersHe demanded that the services of workers be regularisedCouncil chairperson Neelam Gorhe said the matter would be discussed on Tuesday under section 97 of the rulesA day before Solar Industries India senior general manager Ashish Srivastava had said that the incident occurred in the building where boosters used in coal mines are produced It took place when sealing work of the product was going onPolice have registered a case against unidentified persons in connection with the blast under the Indian Penal Code on the charges of causing death by negligence and negligent conduct with respect to the explosive substance an official said on Mondaywith PTI inputs