Home / Disasters and Accidents / Four Dead in Gujarat Factory Fire; Owners Held
Four Dead in Gujarat Factory Fire; Owners Held
30 Jan
Summary
- A plastic unit fire in Udhna resulted in four fatalities.
- The facility operated for 1.5 years without a fire NOC.
- Two brothers, owners of the unit, were arrested.
Four workers perished following a severe fire incident at a plastic scrap unit in Udhna, Gujarat. The fire, which started on January 19, erupted when a plastic crusher malfunctioned and exploded at the RMS Plast facility. Four individuals succumbed to their burn injuries between January 22 and January 25.
The unit's owners, Mohammad Husain Meman and Mohammad Abdul Kadir Meman, were arrested on Thursday for culpable homicide and negligent acts. Investigations revealed the facility had been operating for approximately one-and-a-half years without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the fire department.
Compounding the tragedy, the unit was found to be congested with inadequate safety measures, hindering escape. The investigation also indicated that the owners had neither informed the Industrial Safety Department nor applied for a fire NOC, despite conducting hazardous operations. The Surat Municipal Corporation has since sealed the premises, which had only a Shops and Establishments Act certificate.
