Pharma unit employee in Vizag dies after inhaling poisonous gases

An employee at a Pharma manufacturing unit died after inhaling poisonous fumes that leaked out in the Paravada area of Vizag. The incident, which critically injured two others as well, on Wednesday night occurred in Vijayasri Organics at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City.

The deceased was identified as a 32-year-old man named Sridhar. The injured were identified as Chandrasekhar and Appa Rao who have been put on ventilator support. All of them worked as operators in the manufacturing unit. The three men were inside a production block when lethal gases leaked out at the pharma unit in Visakhapatnam. Reports suggest that the incident may have taken place when they were adding a solvent to a reactor, resulting in the dangerous fumes. Two others were also present at the site at the time of the leakage. However, their condition was found to be stable.

KBS Prasad, the Deputy chief inspector of factories, publicly stated that his team visited the spot when they were informed about the mishap. The inspector added that the team would soon initiate an inquiry into the untoward incident. An official police case has not been registered yet.

Meanwhile, workers from the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a protest alleging negligence on the part of the company. The protesters claimed that the pharma unit in Vizag failed to provide protective gear to the workers. They were joined by CPI(M) members who demanded strict action against the company management. Further, they demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 30 lakh for the deceased and medical care for the injured.