Rewari unit offers Rs 7 lakh to blast-hit; kin say not enough

Tribune News Service

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, March 24

The death toll in the March 16 auto spares manufacturing unit blast case rose to 14 with one more succumbing to his injuries at the PGIMS here on Sunday. While the victims’ families claim the financial help of Rs 7 lakh being offered by the factory management is not enough, the district authorities are holding negotiations to get the monetary aid enhanced.

“Workers have paid with their lives. Hence we have asked the factory management to provide at least Rs 20 lakh each, instead of Rs 7 lakh, to the next of kin of those killed. Negotiations are underway with the management and we expect a considerable increase in the aid,” a district official told The Tribune. Firoz, brother of one of the victims from Gonda (Uttar Pradesh), said the factory management was offering them a cheque for Rs 7 lakh in monetary aid, but it was inadequate given the irreparable loss they had suffered.“Most workers were sole breadwinners for their families. We also demand pension for the families,” he said.

The families further demanded action against the factory owner, manager and contractor, saying the incident could have been averted had the workers been provided adequate safety gear or the dust collector been properly cleaned.

A district official committee, led by Rewari SDM Vikas Yadav, had found lapses pertaining to industrial safety norms. Proper safety gear was not provided to workers, the report had stated.

No arrest has been made so far. “As several technical aspects are involved, the SIT is taking time to investigate the matter thoroughly. We have written to the state authorities to get an industrial expert to ascertain the sequence of events leading to the explosion,” said SP Sashank Kumar Sawan.

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