A fire broke out on Sunday evening in the warehouse of Deccan Fine Chemicals at Rajavaram village in Payakaraopeta mandal of Visakhapatnam district, triggering panic initially and later leading to huge protests on Monday morning.

There were no workers in the warehouse at the time and there were no casualties, but the smoke from burning chemicals spread to villages in the vicinity and people developed nausea.

They fled the villages in panic and the fire department personnel brought the fire under control after several hours. Electrical short-circuit is suspected to be the cause of the mishap.

Tension prevailed on Monday outside the gate of the factory. The police had to resort to a mild lathicharge to control the crowd. More than 2,000 residents from Rajavaram, Gajapathinagaram, Rajanagaram, Kesavaram and Venkatnagaram gathered at the factory’s gate, demanding immediate closure of the unit.

The villagers were also upset with the company, as it was the second major fire in two years. On April 11, 2014, fire broke out at the same plant due to a reactor blast that left two dead and about 26 injured.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the Forum for Development of North Andhra (FDNA) led by Ajay Sharma and JV Ratnam of Green Climate, met the officials of the Joint Inspector of Factories here and submitted a memorandum, seeking immediate action against Deccan Fine Chemicals and safety audit of all pharmaceutical and chemical factories in the district.

Deccan Fine Chemicals produces chemicals such as tricyclazole, amicarbazone and prodiamine, and it is in on an expansion mode. The factory has been set up on 35 acres and is planning to acquire another 150 acres.

sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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