A reactor blast, reportedly due to heavy pressure, injured five workers at Vegesna Laboratories Private Ltd at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City, Tadi, about 50 km from here on Monday. The company produces bulk drugs.
The injured were rushed to the nearby hospital where their condition was stated to be stable. “The workers sustained injuries as glasses broke following manhole explosion due to heavy pressure and hit them,” Inspector of Factories R. Trinadha Rao told The Hindu. The officials of the company were not available for comment. The production was stopped after the incident.
It may be recalled that ten workers were injured following ammonia gas leak at Glochem Industries Ltd at JNPC on June 28. Following the incident, Minister for Education Ganta Srinivasa Rao had called for safety audit of all industries in the region due to frequent accidents.
Action soughtMeanwhile, CPI (M) State secretariat member Ch. Narsinga Rao and CITU city general secretary M. Jaggu Naidu blamed negligence on the part of the JNPC authorities for regular accidents at various units at Tadi and Tanam near Parawada and asked the authorities to take stringent action against those found responsible.
They also wanted the State government to reconsider its decision to go ahead with Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) proposed to be developed between Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in view of frequent accidents at JNPC, HPCL Visakh Refinery and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
Senior scientist at NEERI C.V. Chalapathi Rao said recently that though several internationally accepted protocols were in place in local industries, negligent attitude and lack of supervision were leading to frequent accidents.
