Telangana: At Least Nine People Still Missing In Sigachi Chemical Factory Blast, Expert Panel Formed

Sangareddy: At least nine people are still missing in the debris after a devastating explosion at Sigachi Pharma Industries in Telangana claimed 40 lives. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the deceased and ordered a detailed inquiry into the explosion. An expert committee appointed by the state government will visit the site of the tragedy to understand the reasons for the blast and find out the sequence of events.

According to reports, the panel should submit a detailed report in one month to the state government highlighting specific suggestions and recommendations. The committee will be headed by Dr B Venkateswar Rao, Emeritus Scientist, at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. Police officials told reporters that 90% of the debris has been removed and that skeletal remains would be sent for examination as an when they surface. 

Sigachi Industries had denied that the recent explosion at its chemical plant in Telangana was due to a reactor blast. In a statement, the company also announced a temporary shutdown of operations at the facility for 90 days. The explosion occurred on June 30 (Monday) at Sigachi Industries, located in the Pashamylaram industrial area, which claimed at least 40 lives. Many others remain injured, some of them in critical condition.

According to reports, Sigachi Industries expressed their grief over the tragedy and said that they have been coordinating with officials and family to provide all assistance.“Sigachi Industries Ltd has committed to an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the deceased, while those injured will receive full medical and rehabilitation support. As we await the results of the investigation, we would like to clarify that the accident was not caused by a reactor explosion at the plant, as mentioned in sections of the media,” the statement read.

The statement was made public hours after a complaint was filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which pointed fingers at the company's alleged failure to follow safety protocols and negligence on the part of management.

Revanth Reddy takes stock

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the deceased and ordered a detailed inquiry into the Sigachi Pharma Industries explosion that killed 34 people and left several others injured. Addressing the gathering, CM Reddy said, "Rs 1 crore will be given to the deceased and Rs 10 lakh to the seriously injured, and Rs 5 lakh to the injured people. The government will take care of their medical treatment..."

He visited Sigachi Pharma Industries in the Sangareddy district and held a review meeting. He directed officials to submit a detailed investigation report into the cause of the blast.

While interacting with factory authorities, Chief Minister Reddy asked, "Don't conclude with assumption or general opinion. I need specific reasons for this accident. Only then can we address what happened here today."

The Chief Minister also enquired about the treatment status and hospital expenses of the injured victims. He said,“How many people are unskilled and skilled labour? Have you segregated the number of skilled and unskilled workers who died after the blast?” Revanth Reddy emphasised that such incidents should serve as a learning point for both the government and industry stakeholders.

"We need to focus on what instructions we must give to avoid similar problems in other industries like this. There are two things we need from this: first, a detailed report, and second, accountability," he further said. He directed the officials not to rely on earlier inspections or reports and insisted on fresh evaluations by new experts. The Chief Minister also referred to possible compliance lapses by the industry and called for a review of past notices and penalties.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the explosion and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

(with inputs from ANI)

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