Mr. E A S Sarma, the former Energy Secretary of India, recently suggested that the Andhra Government must issue one month’s notice to hazardous units across the state and ask them to show proof of world-level safety standards and pollution norms or else their units should be shut down immediately. To check the malady, Mr. Sarma, a 1965-batch retired IAS officer, suggested that the concerned government officials must equally be held responsible for every accident.
Writing to the Andhra Chief Minister, Mr. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the former Energy Secretary wrote that his government should implement the recommendations of the reports submitted by various committees appointed after accidents in industries in the past and also initiate police action against the management. He demanded that the Naidu government shut the Escientia Pharma unit permanently and initiate action against the management for violating labour laws.
Ex-IAS Sarma wrote, “Atchutapuram Pharma Blast is not the first accident and needed comprehensive changes in the policies and also the approach towards safety standards by the govt. The collusion between the industries and politicians is avoiding action against the industries.“
The ex-IAS officer pointed out that the high-power committee headed by Mr. Neerabh Kumar Prasad (1987-batch IAS officer), the incumbent Chief Secretary of State, had submitted a report with good suggestions after the LG Polymers accident. However, such suggestions were not holistically implemented by the previous government in the past four years.
“21 workers were killed and 69 injured in 24 accidents that took place in Parawada Pharmacity alone between 2013 to 2019. No industry was closed or the managements were jailed. The govt should recognise that the officials do not have proper technical awareness of industrial safety. An advisors committee should be appointed with experts at the national level headed by the chief minister,” advised Mr. Sarma.
