The fire that broke out at Primacy Industries at Baikampady has raised questions on the safety measures taken in the industries set up in Baikampady Industrial Area.
In spite of 14 fire service vehicles being pressed into action from Moodbidri, Bantwal, Puttur, Udupi and Mangalore, besides 4 firefighters belonging to MCF, MRPL and ONGC, it was not possible to bring the fire under control for a long period of time.
Just got lucky
The incident has left behind several points to ponder upon. Government departments concerned need to take a part of the blame for not checking for safety measures taken up by the establishments, while issuing necessary permit to them. What makes safety measures in this particular industrial area all the more important is the fact that it is surrounded by residential areas and there are places where there is heavy concentration of different types of chemicals. According to KIADB, in the Baikampady Industrial Area spread across 482 acres, there are 504 different types of industries. However, the KIADB is not aware as to how many of these industries store inflammable and hazardous chemicals in their go downs. Workers just got lucky in this mishap because there were no deaths reported.
Not our business
As far as officials are concerned, the blame game is on. The KIADB passes the buck claiming that their job is merely confined to sanctioning of land and that safety measures fall under the ambit of the Pollution Control Board. The Pollution Control Board on the other hand states that the factory which got gutted on Thursday night had obtained its certificate and ensuring further safety measures is Industrial Security Superintendent's business.
Violated rules
K G Nanjappa, Deputy Director, Industries (Safety Department), says that it is necessary for every industry to possess a Fire Detection Alert system. The fire accident at the factory at Baikampady took place because this system was not in place there. “Every industry must have fire extinguishing equipment, fire detection systems, alarm system to notify security control room etc. The alarm system was not connected to the security room in the gutted factory,” he reveals while adding that the factory had not obtained an No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Fire Services.
Workers in industries are also given training with regard to precautionary measures and according to workers of the gutted factory, such training had been imparted to them. In the entire Dakshina Kannada district, 10 industries have been identified as dangerous, and one of them is situated in Baikampady Industrial Area. As a precautionary measure, information and training is provided at that industry every six months, Mr. Nanjappa says.
In fear
Not too far away from the gutted factory is the Angaragundi residential area, at a distance of about 500 metres. Following Thursday's fire accident, the residents of the area are living in constant fear.
“We have to spend every day with a sense of fear. Hundreds of industries are set up with promises of jobs for locals. Forget jobs, locals like us are not even allowed to roam around these industries. My house is situated nearby. When the factory caught fire, I along with a few others rushed to the spot and tried to extinguish the fire. After about 50 minutes the fire services arrived at the spot and by that time, the fire had spread a fair deal”, says Salim, a local resident.
In spite of an appeal being made to the district administration from the last 10 years to set up a fire service station at Baikampady, there has not been any progress. Ultimately the question still remains to be the same. How safe is Baikampady Industrial Area?
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