Peso remains blind & mute to serial blasts in explosives units, audit reports buried in files

Nagpur: From its headquarters at the lofty CGO Complex in Seminary Hills in Nagpur, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), the industry's apex body, monitors safety compliance in around 5 lakh units across the country. These extend from the oil and gas industry to explosives manufacturing. In its own backyard in Nagpur, 5 blasts have snuffed out 42 lives in 3 years and PESO remains a frigid, toothless body, offering no remedial measures.The most recent blast took place at SBL Energy Limited in Kalmeshwar, where detonators blew up, leaving 22 dead, mostly women. For the trail of deaths, PESO officials have a stock answer — the agency is understaffed. It's the same reply after every tragedy. However, despite its claims of manpower crunch, it has been learnt that PESO did conduct audits or safety checks too. The findings, however, remained buried in its files.
Ironically, PESO which comes under the Union commerce ministry also proclaims itself as an institution of excellence. At the same time, officials argue they do not have any powers to prosecute. Only the district collector or local police can take any action if there were lapses. A post-mortem after SBL accident revealed the agency conducted safety audits in some factories and even found lapses. The reports were not shared with either the district administration or police. Both are stakeholders in ensuring compliance with the govt's explosives safety rules, apart from PESO.As this was revealed in meetings that followed the blast, it was also confirmed by the Nagpur divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari, who expressed concern about PESO's aloof stance.After the SBL incident, the divisional commissioner's office has been mandated to submit reports of all accidents in the last three years to the ministry of commerce which is the parent ministry for PESO.Officials at PESO argued the agency conducts a probe after every accident and places the report before the district collector who officially calls for a magisterial inquiry. State govt officials said even if PESO puts up a post-accident report, it should also share day-to-day findings on safety lapses. "If PESO conducts periodic inspections, even such reports need to be shared," a source said. It is now being planned to make it mandatory for PESO to disclose audit findings with the district administration, said Bidari.PESO could issue a deadline to ammunition manufacturers to take remedial measures and even suspend their licences, said an official who was part of the meeting. Now, a rehabilitation package is being hammered out for the injured and maimed in earlier accidents, said Bidari.