Mumbai, March 5 – The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Thursday as opposition parties clashed with the government over a major explosion at SBL Energy Limited in Raulgaon, Nagpur district.
The blast, which resulted in the deaths of 18 workers, led to a confrontation, culminating in an opposition walkout.
State Labour Minister Akash Fundkar informed the House that the state government has officially closed down the facility.
He stated that FIRs have been filed against 21 individuals, including the factory owner and several officials.
Members from both the ruling and opposition parties expressed their grief over the deaths and demanded strong action against the company management.
"The government is taking this incident very seriously. We have invoked charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder," Fundkar said.
He added that under the new labour laws, the state now has the power to shut down companies immediately if safety discrepancies are found.
A high-level investigation 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, describing 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 reiterated 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.
