SANGAREDDY: Did the Sigachi management ignore critical safety recommendations from the Factories department? That is the question being raised by officials, who now say the explosion, which has claimed at least 36 lives, could have been averted had corrective measures been implemented in time.
According to department sources, safety suggestions were communicated directly to the factory’s general manager, who was among those killed in the blast. Although a previous accident had occurred at the same factory, it did not draw attention as there were no casualties then, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was quoted saying on Tuesday.
The Sigachi factory, established in 1990, manufactures excipients, which are fillers and coating materials used in tablets and capsules. It is the third such unit in India, with the other two located in Gujarat. The company is also planning to set up another unit in Ameenpur, under the Andole Assembly constituency. Its products are sent to other states and countries. About 300 workers are employed at the facility, with 150 working the general shift and the rest spread across two other shifts.
While officials are pointing to managerial negligence, several workers have questioned the role of the Factories department and the Pollution Control Board (PCB) in ensuring the enforcement of safety protocols. “Why were the rules not strictly implemented?” they asked.
CPI(M) blames lax oversight
In a related development, CPI(M) state general secretary John Wesley visited the site and met with victims’ families. “The negligence of the Sigachi management has cost so many lives. Many factories operate with unskilled labour and outdated reactors. Industrialists are playing with the lives of migrant workers who come here in search of a livelihood,” he said.
He also questioned the response of the chief minister, who visited the site earlier in the day. “Did he do justice to the workers?” the CPI(M) leader asked, announcing a protest on July 9.