Three booked after safety lapses found in deadly Nagpur factory blast

Nagpur: Safety lapses have been found at an aluminium products manufacturing factory in Nagpur where a blast last week claimed five lives, following which a case has been registered against three of its officials, police said on Monday. The blast occurred on April 11 at MMP Aluminium Industries in Umred MIDC in Maharashtra's Nagpur district.

The five deceased workers, all in the age group of 20 to 25 years, were residents of Nagpur district. Two other workers, who suffered around 80 per cent burn injuries, were reported to be in a critical condition. They were shifted from the Government Medical College and Hospital to a private hospital on Saturday for better treatment, an official said. According to a report from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), the factory management failed to provide the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to workers and put their lives at risk, officials from Umred police station said.

Two workers who recently joined the company were not given any safety training before being allowed to work at the site, they said quoting the report. The police on Sunday registered a case against two managers and a safety in-charge of the company under sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 287 (negligent conduct regarding fire or combustible matter) and 125(B) (endangering life or personal safety of others due to negligence or recklessness) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the officials said. No arrest has been made so far, the police said, adding a probe was on into the case.