HYDERABAD: Even as three persons with over 90 per cent burns are undergoing treatment after a chemical reactor blast at Seutic Pharma Private Limited located at Subash Nagar in Jeedimetla on Friday, no one from the company management has contacted the families yet. Three victims -K.Kumar Swamy (39) sustained 95 per cent burns, K Simhachalam (34) sustained 91 per cent burns, B Srinivas (38) sustained 80 per cent burns and are battling for life at a hospital.
Speaking to Express, D Shyam Sundar Reddy, assistant commissioner for Labour, Medchal district said that the company is liable to pay compensation to each of the injured under Workmen’s Compensation Act based on their designation. He along with district collector jointly inspected the pharma company’s unit on Saturday. “We have identified that out of seven injured persons, five have ESI health card and two don’t,” said Reddy. When contacted, Medchal collector, M Venkat Reddy, said that as per the government norms, compensation to each injured workers will be given apart from medical expenses. He said that a special team identified dangerous chemicals being stored improperly in the company’s premises.
It is alleged by the families that no fire safety measures were in place at the unit whereas fire department has maintained that buildings below 15m of height need not take fire NOC from them. Swamy, who was on his morning shift, was working as the shift-in-charge. The accident occurred allegedly when some chemicals were being shifted from a tanker to another container. Speaking to Express, Swamy’s wife Veeramani said that her husband’s salary was the only source of income to sustain family and is now worried about the future of her kids. Same is the case with Simhachalam’s family.
“He has been working as a maintenance manager for the last five years and the company’s management didn’t contact us,” said his wife Manamma. Another person, Srinivas used to work as an electrician. “We do not even have any financial resource to afford the treatment costs,” said his wife Ramadevi. According to Jeedimetla inspector C Shanker Reddy, a case has been registered under IPC sections 338, 285 for negligence against Seutic Pharma Private Limited and that investigation is going on. No action has been taken yet.
Delayed compensation
Family members of D Venkat Naik who lost life in a major diesel tanker blast in Chengicherla, Medipally in Medchal district on January 12, are yet to receive any monetary compensation from the government and are planning to approach court. Naik’s father, D Govinda Naik, said that the state government should provide `5 lakh as compensation for his son’s death and that he would be approaching Kurnool District Court for justice. 25-year-old D Venkatesh Naik, who was working on outsourcing basis with TSRTC at its depot in Chengicherla and was the sole breadwinner of his family, died a horrific death after suffering 94 per cent burns when he was driving and petrol tankers exploded in a shed where they were being illegally tampered with. Collector Medchal district, M Venkat Reddy said that there is no “scheme” under which Naik can be compensated and If the family wants financial compensation then they should apply for CM relief fund.