Blast Victims’ Families to Receive Rs82 Lakh Compensation After Katol Explosive Factory Tragedy

Nagpur: Families of workers killed in the explosive factory blast in Raulgaon village of Katol taluka will receive financial assistance of about Rs82 lakh each after a high-level meeting chaired by Maharashtra Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule approved a comprehensive relief package on Monday.

Under the decision, the company involved in the incident, SBL Explosive Manufacturer Company, agreed to pay Rs75 lakh to the family of every deceased worker and Rs25 lakh to each injured labourer. The Maharashtra govt will additionally provide Rs5 lakh to the next of kin of each victim, while the Central govt will contribute Rs2 lakh.


Officials said the total compensation of roughly Rs82 lakh for each deceased worker will be deposited in bank accounts in the names of the legal heirs. The principal amount will remain secured as a fixed deposit, while the head of the family will be allowed to withdraw the interest. If the deceased worker's child is a minor, the amount will be released when the child attains legal adulthood.

Officials also reviewed existing legal provisions governing explosive manufacturing units and examined coordination gaps among departments operating under both the state and the Central govts.

Participants raised questions about whether workers were provided proper safety equipment and training under labour laws, and whether industrial safety standards were verified during inspections conducted by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation.

Finance and Planning minister of State Ashish Jaiswal questioned whether merely introducing more legislation could solve systemic failures. "The govt adopted the ease-of-doing-business approach to ensure transparency and quicker decisions, but if someone misuses it, how many more laws should the govt enact to fix the system?" Jaiswal said, stressing that worker safety must remain the govt's priority.

Authorities sealed the factory until the investigation into the explosion is completed. Bawankule also directed the company to continue paying minimum wages to its workers during the shutdown period so that labourers do not face financial hardship.

The minister further instructed that all workers must undergo at least 3 months of mandatory safety training in accordance with industrial safety standards before the unit can resume operations. The factory will be permitted to restart only after all deficiencies identified during inspection are rectified and the district collector personally verifies compliance.

Bawankule also said district disaster management authorities would examine whether the scope of the Disaster Management Act needs to be expanded to ensure faster response and stronger accountability in industrial accidents.

The relief measures were finalised during a review meeting held to assess Sunday's deadly explosion that killed 17 labourers. It was attended by Ramtek Member of Parliament Shyamkumar Barve, legislators Charansingh Thakur and Sameer Meghe, divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari, former minister Anil Deshmukh, collector Vipin Itankar, Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Vinayak Mahamuni, SP Harsh Poddar, and Dean of Govt Medical College and Hospital Nagpur Raj Gajbhiye, along with labour representatives and senior officials from the labour and industrial safety departments.