Rise in Accidents at Atchutapuram SEZ, Safety Audits Are a Farce

Visakhapatnam: The iteration of accidents at the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone in recent years is raising public concern. The factories manufacture and store chemicals, but there is no seriousness about safety. Safety audits are a farce due to corrupt practices, it is alleged.

The reactors of various companies store thousands of litres of chemicals. An explosion could cause huge damage to the city and its denizens, it is feared. None of these factories has proper safety systems in place. Due to this, an accident takes place almost every month.

A fire accident occurred on June 30, 2024, at Sahithi Pharma Pvt Ltd, causing six deaths. A reactor explosion on July 17, 2024, at Vasantha Chemicals killed a 44-year-old worker. On Jul 23, 2024, a 59-year-old labourer from Madhya Pradesh died in Smilex.

The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Anakapalle district spreads to about 10,000 acres, of which 3,000 acres have been earmarked for Pharma SEZ. This is known as Atchutapuram SEZ.

Over the past decade, several mishaps have been recorded. On Dec 27, 2014, an explosion occurred at Mylan Company, resulting in two fatalities. On April 8, 2019, an accident at Asian Paints led to one death. On January 14, 2020, a worker at Sanveera company died in a chimney accident. On July 23, 2021, an accident at Vashishta Pharma claimed one life. In 2022, toxic gas leaks occurred twice at the Seeds company in June and August, causing illness to over 500 female workers. On October 22, 2022, a gas leak at St. Globin resulted in one fatality. On Jan 11, 2023, a boiler explosion at GMFC lab claimed one life.

In Feb 2023, an accident at Mithan Ferros Pharma led to the loss of one life. In the second week of June 2023, a mishap occurred at Abhijit Ferro company, resulting in one fatality. On June 30, 2023, an explosion at Sahitya Pharma led to the loss of four lives.

Many factories do not conduct safety audits other than on paper. Officials give audit reports without visiting the factories due to corrupt practices, it is alleged.

The Pharma city staff and workers union honorary president Gani Shetty Satyanarayana expressed serious worry over lack of safety measures in these units. In the event of a large-scale reactor explosion, the loss to lives and property could be huge in the absence of strong safety steps, he pointed out.

“Safety audits should be conducted under IS 14489 (1998) and submitted to the Director of Factories. Every factory should undergo this audit annually. The audit should cover aspects of fire safety, worker safety, environmental pollution and the condition of pipes, reactors, tankers and other equipment,” Satyanarayana said.