One year after Sigachi tragedy, victims seek fulfilment of Revanth Reddy’s assurances

A year after the Sigachi Industries blast claimed 54 lives, victims' families allege that compensation, medical assistance, educational support and employment assurances announced by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and the company remain largely unfulfilled despite repeated representations to authorities.

Sangareddy: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who went back on the poll promises he made to people of Telangana, also failed to fulfill the promises he made to the victims of Sigachi blast.

The Chief Minister along with Ministers Damodara Rajanarasimha, G Vivekananda and others visited the site on July 1, a day after the blast claimed 54 employees’ lives and left 28 others injured. He promised Rs one crore compensation to each of the kin of 54 deceased persons, Rs 10 lakh to seriously injured and Rs 5 lakh to those who sustained minor injuries.
However, the Sigachi management had failed to give even half of the promised compensation even a year after the incident. Revanth had assured to extend full treatment support to the 28 injured persons till their full recovery apart from the promise to pay regular salaries until they get back to work again. He vowed to extend health treatment at government expense to the injured if Sigachi was unable to provide the treatment.

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However, many of the victims were still undergoing treatment at their own expense as neither government nor the Sigachi management took the responsibility. The injured persons already spent Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh given as compensation to them on the treatment. Since the management stopped paying salaries to the injured, they were struggling to feed their own family members as they could not do any other work.
Though the kin of victims had submitted complaints during prajavani at Sangareddy collectorate and to all the offices concerned seeking release of compensation and other benefits, the officials concerned had failed to act on their request. The victims did not know whether the issue was flagged to the attention of the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

Neither the Chief Minister nor his office made any statement on the issue in the last one year. After constituting an expert committee and another committee with top officials, Revanth Reddy assured to take stern action against the officers concerned and the management if they were found guilty.
Even though the expert committee constituted by the Congress government had found fault with the Sigachi management for violation of safety measures and officials for issuing no objection certificates without carrying proper inspections, he failed to take any action against any officer responsible so far.

Though an FIR was registered against the top brass of Sigachi management at BDL Bhanur police station, they arrested CEO of industry Amit Raj Sinha six months after the blast. However, he walked free on bail after 32 days. Meanwhile, the victims, who were mostly migrants, have been moving from pillar to post, but finding no support either from the government or from the management.
Revanth Reddy had directed the officials to admit the victims’ children in the government residential schools. However, none of them was admitted to the schools. Since most of them were migrants, they had shifted to their native places after losing their breadwinner in the blast.

But, the kin of the victims had urged the government and Sigachi management to provide financial support to their children’s education. Since the Sigachi had remained inoperative for the last one year, the remaining workers, who were not on duty at the time, had also lost employment.
These workers were denied employment without giving any gratuity, and severance allowance following the labour act. The victims’ kin urged Revanth to hold a review meeting with the officials and Sigachi management at the blast site on June 30 to ensure the release of Rs one crore compensation and other benefits.