Govt Orders Probe Into Odisha Gutkha Unit Fire

Sambalpur: The Odisha government has ordered a probe into the recent fire at a gutkha manufacturing unit here, in which at least 28 persons suffered serious burn injuries.

“The government took note of the incident and subsequently asked the Sambalpur collector to form a team to probe the incident and submit a report,” Labour Minister Susanta Singh told the media.

He said appropriate action would be taken against the guilty on the basis of the report.

The incident took place on December 20 at Pardhipali under Ainthapali police limits area here. Eleven victims of the mishap are still undergoing treatment at IGH Rourkela, of which two are reported to be critical. A case has also been registered against the owner of the factory Vaibhav Pandey for negligence under Sections 285, 287, 337, 338 and 34 of the IPC.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Factories and Boilers has issued a notice to the factory to stop work in light of the violations of basic safety standards. Officials found that the unit was running without the mandatory hydrant pipelines and the staff were working inside a closed chamber when the accident took place.

Locals also claimed the factory dumped huge quantities of hazardous waste in the open. It is located next to a private school. Any major fire hazard in the gutkha unit can put the lives of hundreds of students at risk, they added.