One year after Sigachi blast, victims await compensation and justice in Telangana

One year after the deadly Sigachi Industries blast in Sangareddy that claimed 54 lives, victims' families are still awaiting promised compensation and support. Workers who lost employment are also seeking rehabilitation, while activists and unions continue to demand accountability.

Sangareddy: The victims of the biggest industrial blast in Telangana, reported at Sigachi Industries Limited in Pashmylaram, which claimed the lives of 54 persons and left many workers injured, were denied justice even one year of the blast.
The kin of the deceased have not received the Rs one crore compensation promised by the Congress government and the management of industry yet. Though the expert committee constituted by the government found the management responsible for the blast citing several violations, the government failed to take any stern action against them.

The expert committee also found the officials, who made mandatory inspections to the industry between 2019 and 2025, responsible as they turned ignorant to the violations and issued the no objection certificates. Even one year after the blast occurred on June 30, 2025, the kin of the deceased were roaming pillar to post seeking the release of the compensation to the promises.

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Chief Minister A Reanth Reddy, who visited the blast site hours after the blast, had announced Rs one crore compensation to each of the deceased’s kin apart from declaring compensation to the injured and free treatment to them until they fully recovered. The management had also assured to pay the salaries to the injured until they recovered and got back into work.Furthermore, the management, which wrote to the national stock exchange immediately after the blast, assured to pay Rs one crore compensation to the deceased apart from taking all the welfare measures to the injured.

However, the management had completely failed in keeping the promises it had made. Responding to a question raised in the state assembly by an MLA, the State government said that the Sigachi management had paid Rs 45.40 lakhs compensation on average to 54 deceased employees. However, the payment included the provident fund benefits, which the workers were eligible to take post retirement, and insurance benefits which the workers were eligible for even other accidental deaths.

But, the kin of the deceased workers said that their family members died only due to the negligence of the management for which the Sigachi had to pay Rs one crore. The management has also failed to extend support to the injured who were undergoing treatment still now. Post blast more than 170 workers were rendered unemployed as Sigachi put no efforts to resume its operation in the last 12 months.

Out of nearly 300 employees working, including the contract workers and administrative staff, 54 employees died in the blast while 28 people were injured. While few of them were inducted into Sigachi Gujarat unit and Sulthanpur unit in Sangareddy, the rest 170 were rendered unemployed.

They were denied employment without paying mandatory severance benefits in violation of the labour act. BRS Party, Telangana People’s Joint Action Committee (TPJAC), and Trade unions have been constantly fighting on the issue. They were preparing to organise protests and debates on June 30, to force the Sigachi management and Congress government to do justice.