Sabotage or real? Questions raised over rising fire mishaps in Baddi

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 5

With a number of fire incidents taking place in the state’s industrial cluster of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) in the past two months, a question is being raised over their genuineness and lack of fire safety.

Recent incidents

• Nine workers had died in a major fire, which gutted an industrial manufacturing unit at Jharmajri
• Fire broke out in the official block of another unit nearly two weeks ago.
• Another case involved death of a driver who inhaled noxious fumes in a pharmaceutical unit where a fire had erupted in the production area.

This finding has come to fore after a recent fire incident, where fire erupted after the workers had dispersed for the day.

A slew of fire incidents have occurred in the BBN area since February. While nine workers had died in a major fire, which gutted an industrial manufacturing unit at Jharmajri in February, a number of other incidents had the fire department on toes during the last two months.

In another incident, fire broke out in the official block of another unit in this industrial cluster nearly two weeks ago. Yet another case involved death of a driver who inhaled noxious fumes in a pharmaceutical unit where a fire had erupted in the production area.

Santosh Sharma, Commandant, Home Guards, who looks after the Fire Department, confirmed that something was fishy in the recent fire incident which took place at Baddi in a device manufacturing unit. “When the unit staff was asked to remove the inflammable material to avert further spread of the fire, the unit staff stated that doing so would hit insurance claim,” said Sharma who added that the information has been conveyed to the senior officials.

The fire staff had to toil hard to control the fire as the inflammable material, which had caught fire, led to its rapid spread. At least 10 fire tenders had been summoned to bring the fire under control.

Though the police have booked the unit management for negligent act endangering human life, it remains to be seen whether negligence would be proved in the probe.

The state government has failed to conduct a safety audit thus giving the lax industries a free run. The audit was supposed to be conducted within a month. But despite lapse of two months, it was yet to even begin. With the officials now engaged in poll duties, it would further delay the work.

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