People panic as safety audit remains an eyewash

Visakhapatnam: There seems to be no let-up in industrial accidents in and around Visakhapatnam, the main industrial hub of Andhra Pradesh, with fatal incidents occurring at regular intervals raising public concern.

The oft-repeated promises of third party audit of hazardous industrial units and periodical social audit of safety apparatus by the powers-that-be have remained only on pen and papers.

Accidents are occurring without any brake even after the LG Polymers gas leak claimed 11 lives and injured hundreds of people in the vicinity of the plant in May, 2020 and the experts' committee pointed out serious lapses in following environmental guidelines. The recent accident at Laurus Labs at Parawada killing four persons sent shock waves. Prior to this, two gas leak incidents occurred on the premises of Brandix India Apparel City at Atchutapuram in quick succession.

The incident at Laurus was not the first one at that lab or the first one at the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City. The JNPC Complex has become notorious for its poor industrial safety record, said noted social activist and former IAS officer EAS Sarma.

He told Bizz Buzz that in the past, when fatal accidents occurred, the industrial safety regulators in the State Government woke up temporarily, pretended they were conducting a safety audit, forgot about it in a few days, till another fatal accident took place and more workers' lives were lost and their families had nowhere, to go.

He said it is unfortunate that the promoters of not a single accident-prone unit are arrested and prosecuted. Not a single senior officer of the concerned department is suspended and proceeded against. He said the way fatal accidents are occurring have become a matter of shame for the State Government and the district administration.

Human Rights Forum AP and Telangana Coordination Committee member VS Krishna said "substantive accountability has to be fixed as the regulatory bodies are errant and compromised."

INTUC leader and Visakha Steel Employees' Congress deputy general secretary Neerukonda Ramachandra Rao said despite several enquiry reports, the authorities have failed to prosecute and punish errant officials for fatal accidents at HPCL Visakh Refinery, JNPC and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

The incident at Laurus was not the first one at that lab or the first one at the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City. In the past, when fatal accidents occurred, the industrial safety regulators woke up temporarily, pretended they were conducting a safety audit, forgot about it in a few days, till another fatal accident took place and more workers' lives were lost and their families had nowhere, to go

- former IAS officer EAS Sarma