Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly witnessed stormy scenes on Thursday as opposition parties clashed with the government over a massive explosion at SBL Energy Limited in Raulgaon, Nagpur district.

The blast, which resulted in the deaths of 18 workers led to an aggressive showdown, culminating in a walkout by the opposition.

State Labour Minister Akash Fundkar informed the House that the state government has officially shut down the facility.

He stated that FIRs have been filed against 21 individuals, including the factory owner and several officials.

Ruling and opposition members expressed anguish over the death of 18 workers and demanded strong action against the company management.

“The government is extremely serious about this incident. We have invoked charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” Fundkar said.

He added that under the new labour laws, the state now holds the power to shut down companies immediately if safety discrepancies are found.

A high-level probe into the alleged negligence of Labour Department officials is also underway, with a report expected within eight days.

The debate was initiated through a ‘Calling Attention’ motion.

Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Vijay Wadettiwar, launched a scathing attack, labelling the incident not as an accident, but as a “massacre” caused by the collusion between the administration and the owners.

Wadettiwar highlighted several shocking safety “lapses” including missing infrastructure, lack of expertise, administrative failure and negligence.

He further claimed that the company lacked fire pumps and CCTV surveillance. Only one safety officer was present despite a requirement for two; workers had no training in handling explosives.

“The appointed Factory Medical Officer, Dr Shashank Dongre, allegedly never visited the site. No internal safety audits were recorded, yet inspectors provided safety clearances,” he said.

Wadettiwar claimed that even though the Petroleum and Safety Organisation headquarters is in Nagpur, their officials never went to the factory for inspection. Labour officers and inspectors have played with people’s lives by merely accepting bribes.

Minister Phadkar repeated that action will be taken as per legal possibilities. However, expressing displeasure over minister’s reply the opposition condemned the government citing its apathy and staged a walkout.

–IANS

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