VIJAYAWADA: CPM State secretary V Srinivasa Rao on Sunday wrote a letter to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, urging him to order a comprehensive investigation into the frequent mishaps in pharma companies, and ensure implementation of stringent safety protocols in industries.
He termed the reactor blast at the Escientia Advanced Sciences Private Limited unit in Atchutapuram SEZ of Anakapalle district, in which 17 workers were killed and 36 others injured, one of the biggest industrial mishaps in the State. In just 24 hours after the Atchutapuram incident, another mishap occurred at another pharma unit in Parawada Pharma City, in which one worker died and three others were injured. “This should be a wake-up call that not everything is right in these industrial parks,” he said.
In Parawada, Rambilli and Nakkapalle of Anakapalle district, where SEZs are located, a total of 138 units are operating, and 40,000 workers are employed in them. Another 20,000 people are working in SEZs. “The prime reason for the frequent mishaps is the lack of regular safety audit by the factories’ department,” he felt.