Portion of a government letter about the tampered file

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 30: An important government file dealing with fatal industrial mishaps has been badly mutilated obliterating vital information.

The file relates to “fatal” industrial accidents in the past six years in large and medium scale industries in the state. Nearly 500 major accidents took place during this period.

Highly placed sources in the directorate of factories and boiler said facts in the file bearing the number LL-II-FM-73/11 had been sought to be destroyed intentionally.

“One official at the behest of the directorate officers had tampered the review data on fatal accidents by tearing off a full column with remarks on it (pages 39/c -20/c),” said a senior official. Directorate of factories and boiler is part of the labour and employment department.

Even the chief minister’s directives on industrial deaths and compensation were ignored. Moreover, efforts had been made to suppress the chief minister’s direction, said an official.

The matter was later brought to the notice of chief secretary Bijay Patnaik, who reportedly directed the labour and employment department to put all information relating to the industrial accidents on the website. However, the chief secretary’s orders are yet to be carried out allegedly because of the stiff opposition to it within the directorate itself.

On being contacted, the directorate officials tried to suppress all information relating to fatal industrial mishaps over the years. The safety cell also refused to provide any information. However, official records, obtained from the directorate, stated that 102 fatal accidents took place in 2010, 122 in 2009, 81 in 2008, 75 in 2007, 65 in 2006 and 37 in 2005.

“The number of deaths could be more. However, the officials have been successful in suppressing facts. There have been cases where people died in accidents in industries, but the authorities in connivance with industrial houses declared it as a case of heart attack,” said official.

Sources said the government, in its letter earlier this month to the directorate, said officers at various levels functioning in the directorate were “indulging in gross malpractices”, trying to cover up fatal accidents on industrial premises. The letter further stated: “Worse, in order to cover up accidental deaths, officers of the directorate, in collusion and connivance with the safety officers of industries concerned, are concocting death reports instead of filing prosecution proceedings under the Factories Act. In turn, the directorate officers are stated to be demanding huge sums of money, a share of which is stated to be flowing upward right up to the secretary.”

On being contacted, labour and employment secretary C.T.M. Suguna said: “The government will take action in accordance with the law.”

The government has requested all industries to immediately inform the labour and employment department about fatal accidents taking place on their premises. The directorate officers should also be informed simultaneously and they will be expected to take action in tune with the Factories Act. The government has also directed the industries to send it a monthly report on fatal accidents.

Trade union leader Naba Mohanty said: “Rampant corruption prevails in the directorate. No muster roll of the migrant labourers is maintained. But, the directorate has chosen not to take any action.”

However, contradicting the government’s stand, director of the factories and boilers Himanshu Sekhar Mohanty said: “All charges of corruption are baseless. We are trying to make the organisation as transparent as possible. It is not possible to suppress fatal accidents.”

In another development, the government has decided to hold the directorate officers directly responsible for any laxity in handling the fatal accident cases.