Bhopal, May 13 (IANS) The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday directed the Harda district administration to submit detailed reports on compensation paid to victims and funds recovered from those accused in the 2024 Harda firecracker factory blast case, as the Tribunal continued hearing matters related to relief for seriously injured victims.

Hearing the matter in Bhopal, the National Green Tribunal’s Central Zone bench asked the administration to provide date-wise details of the amounts recovered from the Project Proponent, including the mode of deposit.

The Tribunal also sought a category-wise report on compensation disbursed to victims, including the names of beneficiaries and the amounts paid to each beneficiary.

The case is currently focused on compensation for people who suffered serious injuries in the blast, which was one of Madhya Pradesh’s deadliest industrial accidents in recent years.

Lawyers representing the victims told the Tribunal that the administration has not made adequate efforts to identify and reach all 64 seriously injured persons affected in the tragedy.

According to the victims’ side, documents related to only 26 injured persons have so far been collected and submitted to the district administration for medical verification and compensation assessment.

The counsel also raised objections over the functioning of the medical board constituted by the Harda administration.

They alleged that the board examined only applications submitted by victims, but several medical records were rejected without proper justification or explanation.

Presenting one example before the Tribunal, the victims’ counsel said a person who suffered severe injuries to both hand and leg had only the leg-related documents accepted, while papers related to the hand injury were rejected without any justification.

The victims urged the Tribunal to direct the administration to place all documents related to the medical examination process on record and to provide copies to affected persons, to ensure transparency in the compensation assessment.

They also demanded details regarding properties seized from the accused persons in the case, arguing that compensation for victims should be ensured through those attached assets.

During the hearing, the Additional District Magistrate of Harda informed the Tribunal that part of the compensation amount available with the administration had already been distributed among victims.

However, some payments remain pending because some beneficiaries could not be located or contacted.

The Additional District Magistrate further informed the bench that a Medical Board had been formed by the Collector to examine injured persons.

According to the medical reports submitted before the Tribunal, four victims were found to have permanent disabilities of varying percentages.

Meanwhile, counsel appearing for Respondents No. 4 and 5 informed the Tribunal that the Project Proponent’s family is currently living in rented accommodation and sought permission for them to return to their residence.

The Tribunal fixed the next hearing in the matter for July 14, 2026.

The Harda firecracker factory blast occurred on February 6, 2024, in Bairagarh village of Harda district.

At least 13 people were killed, and more than 170 were injured in the incident, while several nearby houses and structures were damaged.

–IANS

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