Fire mishap: Home minister for stern action against factory owner

Bengaluru: A day after major fire broke out at a chemical factory located in Bapujinagar near Hosaguddadahalli in West Bengaluru, Home Minister Basavaraja Bommai, who visited the site on Wednesday, declared that three persons had already been arrested in connection with the case. "The authorities have been instructed to take appropriate action against the guilty," the minister said.

"The mishap occurred at around 11.15 am and there were only four workers inside the factory at the time of the incident. They managed to come out and save their lives. The fire broke as the factory had stored combustible chemicals. It is learnt that no safety measures have been taken by the factory. It is not permitted to open a chemical factory in a congested residential area. So a stern action will be taken against the owner of the factory," said the Home Minister.

According to the reports, a complaint has already been filed against three persons -- Sajjan Raj, his wife Kamal and son Anil Kumar. The complaint was filed under the Explosive Act. The owner of Rekha Chemical Factory, Sajjan Raj and Kamal were both missing. Sajjan Raj, who owns a license under the name of Bommasandra Rekha Chemical Industry (in the name of his wife), is said to have illegally stored the chemical in a warehouse in Hosaguddadahalli.

"The fire occurred when four workers were unloading chemicals from a barrel on Tuesday morning. The preliminary investigation revealed that the fire broke out because of lighting of either a cigarette or a beedi during the unloading. The officials have been instructed to conduct a thorough investigation and take stern against the guilty. BBMP officials will also be punished if they were found guilty. No such incident should repeate," Basavaraja Bommai further added.

Three houses adjacent to the warehouse of the factory were damaged. As a precautionary measure, more than fifteen families who lived in the 10 buildings have been evacuated safely to different places.