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Oswal Chemicals plant faces closure

Closure looms large over Oswal Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited, or OCFL, at Paradip in the wake of increasing pressure following a series of accidents inside the plant.

The Orissa government is likely to move against OCFL soon over the issue of lack of safety which has allegedly caused six deaths and left over two dozen labourers injured in the last month and a half.

A highly placed source in the state labour and employment department, indicated that the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is under tremendous pressure to take punitive action against OCFL.

"The coalition government in the state has no option but to initiate hard action against OCFL," sources said, and pointed that a high level meeting would be convened on June 12 in this connection to take a final decision.

The Orissa government had directed OCFL to halt operations at the sulphur conveyor belt in its sulphuric acid plant which had caught fire on May 28 last. Seven workers were injured in the accident. One labourer, Alekha Sahoo, injured in the mishap later succumbed to his injuries.

Frequent mishaps at the OCFL plant have been attributed to the lack of safety measures and defects in the new set-up commissioned last April, said sources. Inquiry into the three accidents that took place at the OCFL plant on April 9,May 6, and May 9 last has revealed that the accidents were caused due to violation of prescribed governmental rules and regulations, Minister for Labour and Employment Bimbadhar Kumar admitted recently.

Trilochal Kanungo, the local Bharatiya Janata Dal member of Parliament, has urged the chief minister to order the closure of the plant till the required safety measures are adopted. Kanungo also called for the arrest of Abhay Oswal, the chief executive officer of OFCL, over the issue.

Several organisations, including workers unions and environmentalists, have also urged the state government to take action against the plant.

Sudhakar Mantry, union leader, alleged that OCFL has "become a death trap for the poor labourers due to weak safety measures inside the plant."

Noted environmentalist and president of the Orissa Krushak Mahasangha Banka, Behary Das, also demanded closure of the OCFL plant and urged a probe into the lack of safety measures at the plant.

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