Staff's negligence caused Chikkaballapur quarry blast, panel tells NGT

A joint committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to study the stone quarry blast incident in Chikkaballapura district in which 6 people died, has blamed illegal possession and inappropriate handling of the explosive material by unauthorised persons working in the company responsible for the incident.

"The main cause of the blast/accident is due to illegal possession and inappropriate handling of the explosive material by unauthorised persons who were working in M/s Shree Bhramaravasini M-sanders LLP (Stone Crusher), under the verbal instructions of the owners of M/s Shridi Sai Aggregates (Stone Quarry) and Shree Bhramaravasini M-sanders LLP in Hirenagavalli Village," said the report submitted to the NGT.

"The accident has occurred due to mere negligence and ignorance of the employees of M/s Shree Bhramaravasini M-sanders LLP, Hirenagavalli village, Karnataka. This also determines that the owners of both M/s Shridi Sai Aggregates (Stone Quarry) and M/s Shree Bhramaravasini M-sanders LLP (Stone Crusher) have not taken due diligence and responsibility in handling the explosives and merely misguided the employees/staff of the Shree Bhramaravasini M-sanders LLP crusher by taking risk of their lives," the report added.

Since the owner of the quarry has not complied with the provisions of the Mines Act, 1952 and The Explosives Act, 1884, the Karnataka government was taking action against Shirdi Sai Aggregates, said the report.

The NGT principal bench headed by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had taken suo motu case of incident and formed a joint committee comprising both Karnataka and Central Government officials and asked them to visit the spot and submit a report.

Six people died and one was injured in Hirenagavalli, in Chikkaballapur on the night of February 22 after gelatin sticks used in a stone quarry exploded.

On the loss of lives, the joint committee said the compensation has been calculated with the available information of the employees who died in the blast.

However, the committee said, there was no major impact on the environment (flora, fauna, water body, atmosphere and livestock etc.) at the blast site.

The committee also said the blast site did not require any restoration measures as it was barren land with dry to scanty vegetation. Even environmental compensation was not required to be calculated, the panel said.

Since the blast occurred for less than a minute, the effects were negligible, barring huge noise and dust/gases in the atmosphere, the panel said.

However, the committee said the state government may also provide the composition of the explosives involved in the blast/accident (after the complete investigation by the Central Investigation Department) to Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) for assessing the possible impact of the chemicals on the environment.