Anakapalli: Another gas leak at Seeds Intimate raises safety concerns
Employees at Seeds Intimate Apparel India feel suffocated after the gas leaked on Tuesday in Atchutapuram in Anakapalli district
Anakapalli: Two months after the gas leak incident that occurred at Seeds Intimate Apparel India of Brandix India Apparel City at Atchutapuram in Anakapalli district, another gas leak at the same unit made the employees feel suffocated.
On Tuesday, more than 100 women experienced discomfort, dizziness and suffocation at their workplace as they inhaled the gas.
According to the company management, the reason for the gas leak seems to be unknown like the earlier incident that happened on June 3. Most women who felt suffocated inhaling the gas were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.
During the gas leak incident that occurred at the Special Economic Zone last time, about 350 women complained of headache, dizziness and burning sensation in the eyes after inhaling the toxic gas which was suspected to be arriving from the Porus Labs. Following which, all the 1,800 employees were evacuated and screened.
Later, work at Brandix came to a halt. After four days of the incident, the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) issued an order to Porus Labs, located about 600-mt away from Seeds Intimate Apparel India, to suspend its production.
When the situation returned to normalcy, both Seeds Intimate and Porus Labs resumed their operation.
Earlier, the APPCB took samples from the company and sent them to the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad. It may be recalled that a joint expert committee was formed to investigate the incident. However, even after two months, the origin of the gas leak is yet to be announced.
Even in the incident that repeated on Tuesday, the origin of the gas leak remains to be a 'mystery'.
According to Brandix management, the victims are in stable condition and they are getting treated in the hospitals.
Enquiring about the incident, IT minister Gudivada Amarnath instructed the district officials to ensure quality treatment to the affected employees.
However, repeated gas leak incidents in the same company within a short span are causing serious concern over the safety of the employees.