Telangana pharma blast: Revanth Reddy blasts Sigachi after top executives skips visit; announces ₹1 crore ex-gratia

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other ministers came down heavily on top executives of the Sigachi Industries for being absent during their visit to the blast site on Tuesday. Chief Minister Reddy announced that the state government and Sigachi together will offer an ex-gratia of  ₹1 crore to the families of the deceased.

Chief Minister Reddy, along with ministers Sridhar Babu, Damodara Raja Narasimha, G. Vivek and P. Rsinivasa Reddy visited the factory blast site and reviewed the rescue operations. Reddy met those undergoing treatment at the hospital and enquired with doctors about their treatment. As many as 36 persons died in the blast and over 30 have suffered injuries.  

The chief minister sought a comprehensive report on the incident and preventive measures taken. Taking exception of the absence company's top executives during the visit, Reddy pressed the company to provide an action plan regarding for the disbursal compensation to the victims. 

"He (senior management) has to come. He has to visit the deceased persons' families. You can not avoid the situation. He has to come. Ask him to come," the chief minister fumed.  Industries Minister Sridhar Babu said the company has to act on a humanitarian basis. "Sorry to say that your top management is not here even after 24 hours. If he is so preoccupied, why does he have to run a factory? Such a major incident, fatal incident has taken place. And our government will take it very seriously," PTI reported quoting the minister.

Babu highlighted that ministers Raja Narasimha and Vivek have been continuously monitoring the situation for the past 24 hours. The state government has formed a five-member probe panel to ascertain the cause of fire and prevent such incidents in the future. According to police, the rescue operations are in last stage.