Uddhav Thackeray warns of stern action against companies not observing safety norms

Ensure compensation reaches kin of 17 labourers killed in Pune factory fire, he says

Chemical factory owners must stringently adhere to safety norms, said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday. He directed the Pune district administration to ensure that the compensation announced by the State government reached the kin of the 17 labourers who were charred to death at a chemical manufacturing company in the district’s Mulshi area. “Industrial safety standards must be seriously reviewed in the aftermath of the explosion at a chemical company at Urware which resulted in the tragic deaths,” he said. The incident occurred late afternoon on Monday when two explosions caused a powerful blaze inside the SVS Aqua Technologies, a chemical manufacturing company. Most of those killed were women while five other labourers were seriously injured. The government had announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased.