Rs 100-cr firm, staff sans safety gear

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Dera Bassi, April 22

A day after four workers died of asphyxiation at a meat plant here, it has come to light how workers are forced to work under inhuman conditions for a pittance.

Federal Agro Private Limited, Behera, an export-oriented unit dealing in frozen buffalo meat, could not ensure the safety of its workers by providing them with safety gear and expert supervision. The owners of the firm, with a turnover of, at least, Rs 100 crore, fled the plant as soon as an FIR of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered against them. The kin of four industrial labourers with a salary as meagre as Rs 15,000-18,000 were left to fend for themselves, as they did not have money to hire hearses to take the bodies to their respective villages in Bihar and Nepal. Till afternoon, the police had been trying to arrange money for the kin with their kids tip-toeing around the local Civil Hospital mortuary, without a morsel to eat.

Dera Bassi MLA Kuljit Randhawa, who came from Jalandhar, offered his condolences to the families.

Contract worker Ayam Kumar, who was near the pit when the four workers got down and died one by one, said, “There was no oxygen cylinder or any other safety gear, apart from a safety belt when they got down into the pit. I have been working here for the past eight years, but never seen workers use oxygen cylinders. All those who died had no training. They were employed somewhere else and asked to carry out the job, for which they were given overtime.” He confirmed that there was no supervisor deputed for the job. After four deaths at the meat plant, there was a lot of anger among the kin of the deceased and local residents, who raised questions over the lax enforcement of labour laws here. The Dera Bassi area has hundreds of industrial units where accidents, leading to workers’ death, are often reported, but no remedial measures are taken by the labour authorities, they alleged.

Deputy Director (Factories) Narinder Pal Singh said, “We will give a report in the case in two-three days to the head office on the basis of which action will be taken.” He said a field visit was carried out only when a complaint was received. “Inspection is done regularly based on computer-generated order. Apart from that, the Labour Department checks safety gear inventory through documentation for compliance.” Workers and plant management are still not sure how the incident took place as they had been working in similar conditions for the past 15 years.

The lid of the 12ft×4ft tank was opened around 11am to let the gas come out. Water was pumped out and it was dry in there. But as soon as they hit the first shovel, one of the workers fell on the sludge. When four workers did not return, the fifth one, Ayam, entered the pit. He felt breathlessness and was pulled up, said Ayam.

Locals residents said close to 1,500 workers, mainly from UP, Bihar and Nepal, are employed at the processing unit and some local put on desk jobs. Behera village Sarpanch Satnam Singh said since most of the workforce was migrant labour, accidents or other such instances largely went unreported. When a five-member team from visited the spot, they said the stench emanating from the place was so intense that they could not go near it.

Local workers said the management carried out cleaning and maintenance work during this time of the year as processing was halted for Eid holidays. The deceased were asked to do the job for extra payment.

Meanwhile, officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Mohali, said no action had been started in this case as it was out of their purview. Though Mohali Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain has ordered a magisterial probe into the five deaths in two such incidents.

The police have registered a case against unit owner Kaamil Qureshi, alias Bunty Qureshi; general manager PS Hameed and Shahid Hameed under sections 304 and 34 of the IPC at the Dera Bassi police station. The antecedents of all accused are not known.

Dera Bassi ASP Darpan Ahluwalia said, “The police are searching for them and they will be arrested soon.”

Minister had warned owners

On July 24, 2018, then Environment Minister Om Parkash Soni had inspected two main industrial units in Dera Bassi, including Federal Agro Private Limited, and found irregularities in the functioning of effluent treatment plants of the unit. The minister had asked the owners to meet the norms within 10 days. He had also directed officials of the Environment Department and the PPCB to keep tabs on these units.

1,500 work at processing unit

• Company with Rs 100-crore turnover
• Around 1,500 workers, mainly from UP, Bihar and Nepal, employed at processing unit
• No oxygen cylinder or any other safety gear for workers
• All those who died got no training for the job
• No supervisor deputed to oversee them

Eyewitness account

• Tank lid opened around 11 am to let the gas come out and water pumped out
• As soon as workers hit the first shovel, one of them fell on the sludge.
• When four workers did not return, the fifth one, Ayam, was asked to enter the pit
• He felt breathlessness and was pulled up

‘Field visit only when complaint received’

We will give a report in two-three days to the head office. A field visit is carried out only when a complaint is received. Inspection is done regularly based on computer-generated order. The Labour Department checks safety gear inventory through documentation for compliance. — Narinder Pal Singh, Deputy Director (Factories)