Rewari: Kin of Dharuhera factory blast victims to get Rs 17.5L from firm

Ravinder Saini

Advertisement

Rewari, April 21

The nominee of each worker who died in the blast that occurred at M/s Life Long Auto Private Limited in Dharuhera here on March 16 will be awarded a total compensation of Rs 17.5 lakh by the management.

Probe under way

Significantly, no arrest has been made in connection with the case, though well over a month has passed after the incident. Jagdish Chand, SHO, Dharuhera police station, said the investigation was underway

The Assistant Labour Commissioner, Labour Department, Rewari, said this in a letter sent to the Rewari Deputy Commissioner (DC) in connection with the notice issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) after taking a suo motu action over media reports regarding the incident.

As many as 39 workers on duty were injured in the explosion of a dust collector at the factory, which manufactues auto spare parts. Sixteen of them later succumbed to their injuries. A majority of the workers belonged to other states, and some were sole breadwinners of their families.

“The employees who are covered under the ESI and get the employee’s compensation is not applicable to these workers. However, the management on humanitarian grounds agreed to pay Rs 17.5 lakh to the nominees of each deceased worker. Out of this, some amount has already been released and the rest will be paid in due course of time,” said the Assistant Labour Commissioner in the letter, in response to an NGT query about compensation paid to the affected employees.

Meanwhile, the kin of a deceased worker from Uttar Pradesh said the company management had so far given a total compensation of Rs 7 lakh to them, assuring them that the rest of the amount would be paid in the coming days. He also said the state government had also provided them monetary relief.

Significantly, no arrest has been made in connection with the case, though well over a month has passed after the incident.

Jagdish Chand, SHO, Dharuhera police station,

said the investigation was underway.

Sources said the district administrative authorities had urged the Director-General, National Safety Council (NSC) India, for the constitution of a senior-level committee for a full-scale safety audit of M/s Life Long Auto Private Limited and a comprehensive inquiry into the dust collector explosion in the company.

“In its report, a joint committee of district officials formed by the DC on March 17 to ascertain the cause behind the incident stated that prima facie, the reason was identified as a spark either from an electric short circuit or from metal grinding polishing, causing an explosion due to the availability of large amount of fine metal dust in the dust collectors. Several other violations were also observed in the report,” said the sources.