Punjab ammonia leak: Factory owner & officials booked

Jalandhar

A day after a 65-year-old man was asphyxiated to death due to ammonia leakage in an ice factory near Jalandhar’s Damoria flyover, the police have booked the owner of the factory along with officials of several government departments.

As per the FIR, the police have booked Ninny Kumar Jain, owner of the firm, along with unidentified officials of the Jalandhar municipal corporation, industries and factories departments, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and Punjab state power corporation limited (PSPCL).

A case under Section 105 (causing death by negligence) and Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered against them at the division number 3 police station.

A senior police officer said during preliminary investigation, it came to fore that NoCs were provided illegally to the factory as the unit was running in the middle of residential and commercial areas. The aforesaid departments have been nominated in the matter following the probe.

“We will gather details from the department concerned regarding NoC issuing authorities at the time of setting up of the factory so that the officials could be nominated by name in the FIR,” the police officer said.

The deceased was identified as Sheetal Singh. He was trapped inside the factory during the leakage in pipes carrying ammonia and died due to suffocation. A few others either fell unconscious or experienced breathing problems along with irritation in eyes but were later reported to be stable.

The reason behind the leakage is not known yet.

The leakage had triggered a panic in the area housing many people in residential households and commercial units. The Jalandhar railway station is situated barely 100 metres away from the spot.

The matter came to light when two cyclists fell unconscious while crossing through the front portion of the factory. Both civil and police administrations swung into action and initiated the rescue operation. The police immediately vacated the area, rushing the people to safe places before cordoning off the area.

Jalandhar commisioner of police Swapan Sharma said they have gathered vital clues about the factory running illegal operations.

“A major incident was averted due to quick action responsive teams of police and civil administration. We are carrying detailed investigation into when and how the factory started operating in the area,” Sharma said.

Deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter to be conducted by SDM, Jalandhar-1. The SDM has been asked to ascertain the reason behind the gas leak and determine the circumstances under which the incident occurred besides fixing the responsibility for any lapse in safety protocols or negligence on part of the factory management or others.

The DC stated the probe would also suggest preventive measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.

The inquiry officer has to submit a report within 15 days, he added.