Dera Bassi tragedy: Meat plant probe hit as owner, directors at large

Gaurav Kanthwal

Mohali, May 3

Nearly two weeks after four persons died due to asphyxiation when they entered a septic tank of a meat plant at Dera Bassi on April 21, there has been no trace of the owner or the directors.

The administration inquiry into the incident has been hamstrung due to the lack of ESI documents, which are said to be unavailable with the middle-level management. The administration has now sought the help of ESI officials and other agencies to obtain the particulars of employees related to the firm, sources said.

Rs 2L relief each for two victims’ kin

The families of deceased Manak Singh of Behera, who died of asphyxiation in a septic tank at Dera Bassi meat plant, and Ravi Kumar of Jolan Kalan, who died while cleaning a sewer line, reached the SDM office to meet M Venkatesan, Chairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis. The families were given Rs 2 lakh each from the CM Relief Fund.

Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said, “The magisterial inquiry report will be submitted in a few days. An immediate relief has been provided to the victims’ kin from the CM Relief Fund.”

The general manager and a director of Federal Agro Industries Private Limited, Behera, have applied for an anticipatory bail. The court has reserved the order till Thursday. The statements of the workers present at the spot at the time of the incident have been recorded.

M Venkatesan, Chairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, today met the families of the workers who died while cleaning the tank at the Federal Agro meat plant and the family of the worker who died while cleaning a sewer line at Jolan Kalan village in Dera Bassi. He, along with the Deputy Commissioner, also visited the meat plant, but no ‘responsible’ management staff was present to answer his questions.

The families of deceased Manak Singh of Behera and Ravi Kumar of Jolan Kalan arrived at the SDM office to meet Venkatesan. The families were given Rs 2 lakh each from the CM Relief Fund.

Venkatesan instructed the officials to give due compensation to the families.