Two workers died and at least five others were injured in two different industrial accidents at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharmacity on Sunday.
A 33-year-old worker died and five others were severely injured in an industrial accident at Alkali Metals Limited in JN Pharmacity, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), under Parawada police station limits, here on Sunday morning.
Inspector Bala Surya Rao said that the incident occurred around 4.30 a.m. in Unit-3 of the factory, reportedly due to the leakage of methyl nitrate gas.
Mr. Surya Rao said that B. Raveendra (28) of Chodavaram, V. Apparao (53) of Hyderabad, Y. Gopalarao (41) from ASR district, A. Srinivasa Rao (38) of Sabbavaram, S. Sivakumar (43) of Anakapalli and Ch. Ramana of Poosapatirega in Vizianagaram district were injured in the accident. Ramana, however, died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Anakapalli. The others are being treated in a private hospital in Visakhapatnam.
In a separate accident, 35-year-old A. Govind died in a private company in the JN Pharmacity, Mr. Surya Rao said.
Demand for ex gratia
CPI(M) Anakapalli district general secretary K. Lokanadham demanded ₹1 crore ex gratia to the kin of the deceased and also the provision of advanced treatment to the injured persons immediately. He also demanded a probe into the accidents, saying that the authorities should initiate strict action against the management.
Mr. Lokanadham said that the managements of many pharma companies have been ignoring safety norms in their units, which has resulted in a number of workers losing their lives. He also said that even though the authorities form enquiry committees during some industrial accidents, no action is taken. He also added that the Pollution Control Board and Factories Department have completely failed to ensure that these industries are maintaining mandatory safety norms.
