Pharma Unit Blast Exposes Ongoing Safety Failures

Visakhapatnam: Safety is the first casualty at theAtchutapuram SEZ units, where an explosion in a pharma company killed many and wounded many more on Wednesday.

Many of the units there are said to be linked to or are owned by leading political or governmental figures. This is a reason why action is not taken against these firms despite massive safety rule violations. Several mishaps took place in these units in recent years, but the official machinery is not being responsive to the safety concerns of the workers, union leaders complain.

Notably, the state government set up safety audit committees at district level after the gas leak incident at LG Polymers in 2020, but their reports remain hidden. These committees had been tasked with the job of reporting to the government on issues related to environmental protection, safety, and preventive measures within the industry.

In the past, then industries minister Gudivada Amarnath emphasized the need for regular safety audits at SEZ in Atchutapuram, but accidents continued to occur. He had stressed that safety audit committees should focus special attention on chemical and pharmaceutical industries, particularly within SEZs.

Curiously, factory owners rarely appeared before the media after every such mishap as in the accidents at the Parawada Pharma SEZ and Atchutapuram SEZ. Instead, officials, ministers and MLAs spoke on on compensation and avoided addressing the main issues of safety.

The lack of response from management at Escientia Advanced Pvt Ltd pharma company this time, despite calls from home minister Vangalapudi is significant and explained the high connections the company has with top governmental entities.

Victims attribute the frequent accidents to the failure of these firms to have compliance with industry standards and norms, particularly in SEZs. These factory owners are generally linked to political and government figures, they point out.

Efforts in the past to include officials of the Pollution Control Board and the Director of Factories in the safety audit committees were unsuccessful, signifying the government's lack of sincerity in checking industrial mishaps.

In the wake of every SEZ accident, safety audit committees are tasked with preparing reports and recommendations to prevent its recurrence. These reports are not released to the media. Nothing goes to show that the government ever acted on the basis of these reports.

Gani Shetty Satyanarayana, a leader of the Parma City staff and workers union, questioned the hide-and-seek attitude of the government. "Many factories in SEZs are owned by politicians and government functionaries. This is why inaction on the part of the government,” he said.

After every mishap, the government sets up committees so as to tame public anger. That is the end of it all. Issues remain unaddressed. “Have the reports from these committees ever been made public," asked Marishetti Rajesh, who lost his sister Anna in the Escientia Advanced firm’s blast.