4 workers hurt in another pharma unit fire in Anakapalli

Anakapalli: Even before overcoming the shock of a pharma reactor blast in the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Anakapalli district a few days ago, another accident took place in an industry in Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City, Parawada.

Fire broke out in the Synergene Active Ingredients Private Ltd at around 1 am on Friday while some of the workers were trying to mix chemicals at the workplace, according to Anakapalli Superintendent of Police Deepika M Patil. The fumes that emanated from the company created panic among the workers and locals.

Four workers were said to be injured in the accident. One is in a critical condition. The injured were shifted to Indus Hospital.

The injured workers, who are undergoing treatment for the burn injuries, belong to Jharkhand and are out of danger. Fire tenders arrived in time at the spot to bring the situation under control.

Expressing concern over the incident, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu enquired about victims’ condition and instructed the district officials to provide quality treatment to the injured. The CM directed Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha to meet the victims and keep him updated with the victims’ status.

The fire accident happened within 48 hours of the reactor blast at Atchutapuram SEZ. The frequency of industrial accidents happening in undivided Visakhapatnam has become a cause of concern. It also underlines the seriousness of looking into safety aspects of industries without any further delay.

Home Minister Anitha visited the victims in the hospital and assured them of support. Terming the incident as the most unfortunate, the Home Minister instructed the authorities concerned to provide quality treatment to the victims. Further, Anitha stated that accidents are happening in the industries due to the negligence of the management and they are advised to consider safety precautions and compliance with norms.The Home Minister informed that a meeting would soon be held on industrial safety to identify the lapses and devise ways to fix them up involving stakeholders. A committee has been formed to monitor the system and action will be taken to prevent recurrence of accidents, she added.