Nagpur factory blast: Primary report indicates negligence, safety lapse by company, says minister

Nagpur: Maharashtra minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday said prima facie there was "negligence" on the part of the Nagpur-based SBL Energy Limited, where a blast claimed 19 lives, and safety measures were not followed by the explosives manufacturer.

The company will give a compensation of Rs 75 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and Rs 25 lakh to the injured persons, the district guardian minister told reporters after a high-level meeting here in connection with the incident.

He also said that apart from the company, accountability will be fixed on officials of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) and the labour commissionerate, and if found guilty, cases will be registered against them.

The blast took place at the detonator packing unit of SBL Energy Limited, a mining and industrial explosives manufacturer, at Raulgaon in Katol tehsil here on Sunday morning.

Nineteen persons died and 23 others were injured, as per officials.

Bawankule said the primary report (by safety agencies) has indicated "negligence" on the part of the explosives company and that safety measures were not followed properly.

The police have arrested nine directors of the explosives manufacturing company in connection with the incident, officials said.

The Kalmeshwar police here have registered a case against 21 directors and shareholders of the SBL Energy Limited under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Maharashtra government would provide Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.