PESO suspends Tiruchy explosives factory’s licence
CHENNAI: Acting swiftly against the explosive-making unit in Tiruchy following the blast, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) suspended the licence within hours of the incident. The notice issued by Dr Ashok Kumar Yadav, Joint Chief Controller of Explosives, South Circle, Chennai, gave the licensee 10 days to explain why the licence should not be suspended or cancelled.
Speaking to Express, Yadav said the initial suspicion was that the blast could have been triggered due to isothermic reaction while the nitration of the chemical was on. The agency has deployed six officials to the accident spot to conduct probe.
“The incident happened around 7.45 am when people were changing shifts. The toll could be more. We don’t know how many people were at the site. It could be ascertained only after the inspection report from my team,” said Yadav. The design of the building, he added, was such that the splinters could not go outside and affect other buildings, causing further loss of lives.
The PESO had initiated several actions against Vetrivel Explosives for alleged violations. As per the documents available with Express, the plant was inspected on June 9 when the emulsion manufacturing process building, fuel blender building and oxidiser blender building were surveyed. Not satisfied with the facilities, a showcause notice was issued for violation of the Explosives Rules 2008.
During the survey, PESO officials found 200 packages containing emulsion explosives, weighing 500 kg, were stored in the building — way above the approved limit of 2,000 kg. The safety audit report for 2015-16 of oxidiser blender building, safety management plan and on-site emergency plan were not produced. The housekeeping of the emulsion manufacturing process building was not satisfactory as cartridges were found scattered below the collecting tray. Even thick mass of explosives was found to be deposited on the metallic rods of conveyor machine.