Safety lapses led to deadly Nagpur blast, 9 company directors held

Former Maharashtra home minister and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Sunday alleged that repeated explosions at units manufacturing explosives in Nagpur district were the result of authorities failing to act on warnings about serious safety lapses. His remarks came after a powerful blast ripped through the detonator packing unit of SBL Energy Limited in Raulgaon village of Katol tehsil, killing 18 workers and injuring 24 others .

Deshmukh, a former MLA from Katol, said he had written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis , Union ministers, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), and other concerned departments about six months ago, highlighting violations of safety norms at explosives manufacturing units in the district.

According to Deshmukh, his letter pointed out deficiencies in safety infrastructure, lack of regular inspections, and non-compliance with prescribed handling and storage procedures for hazardous materials . He had sought immediate safety audits , stricter monitoring, and corrective measures to prevent further accidents, particularly in the Bazargaon industrial area where similar incidents had earlier occurred.

“This tragedy could have been avoided if timely safety audits had been conducted and the shortcomings I flagged were addressed,” Deshmukh said, adding that repeated accidents indicated “serious breaches of safety regulations.”

He also questioned the role of PESO, the central government’s nodal technical regulator for explosives and hazardous substances, noting that its national headquarters is located in Nagpur. “Despite this, major explosion incidents continue to occur here, which is a matter of grave concern,” he said.

Deshmukh said the blast had created fear and insecurity among workers in the explosives sector and residents of surrounding areas. He demanded enhanced compensation for victims, urging the state government to provide Rs 25 lakh to the family of each deceased worker and the company to pay Rs 50 lakh each.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government would grant Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each victim, with additional financial assistance to be provided by the company.

Deshmukh also called for immediate safety audits of all explosives manufacturing units in the Bazargaon and Katol areas and visited the injured at a hospital later in the day.