A pall of gloom descended on the SEZ in Atchutapuram where an industrial mishap took a toll of 17 lives and injuries to many workers on Wednesday. The workforce in the industrial belt is deeply disturbed over the frequent mishaps in these units. The relatives of the injured, meanwhile, milled around various hospital premises on Thursday.
The powerful explosion at the Escientia Advanced Sciences pharmaceutical unit producing vitamin tablets shattered the dreams of many, including the youths who recently joined the firm. Among the victims were three trainees. One was production operator Parthasarathy, whose marriage had been fixed for Sept 5.
On Wednesday, he was at the factory in the afternoon to submit his leave application for the wedding, but he tragically lost his life. The two other trainees who lost their lives were Challapally Harika, 22, and Pudi Mohan Durga Prasad, 20. For them, the job at the pharma unit was a means to help their families and build a future.
Harika hailed from a low-income family in Kakinada. She would travel three hours to her home after the afternoon shift to be with her family for a few hours before returning to work the next day. Co-worker G Musalrao described her as a hard worker with big dreams for her future.
Mohan's parents were daily wage workers. He was the first in the family to go out of the village to make a living. He earned around `14,000 a month as painter cum equipment operator.
The blast also claimed the life of Mahanti Satyam's son.