Civil Society Demands Overhaul of Industrial and Workplace Safety After Sigachi Disaster

Hyderabad, August 27, 2025: A coalition of civil society organisations convened a workshop at the Montfort Social Institute on Tuesday to demand urgent and systemic reforms to industrial safety in Telangana. The event, “Safe Workplaces – Putting People Before Profit,” was organised in direct response to the June 30 explosion at Sigachi Industries in Pashamailaram that killed more than 50 people, with several workers still missing. The organisers included Scientists for People, Montfort Social Institute (MSI), Human Rights Forum (HRF), Telangana People’s Joint Action Committee (TPJAC), and the Working People’s Coalition (WPC).

The session opened with testimonies from families affected by the Sigachi disaster. One family member described the agony of a loved one who suffered severe burns and later died in hospital. Another family shared the unbearable pain of a relative whose body was never recovered, leaving them without closure. “We did not even get mud,” stated one family member of a victim.

Jeevan Kumar of the Human Rights Forum provided critical context, citing data showing that between 2023 and 2025, 135 people died and 370 were seriously injured in industrial accidents around Hyderabad. “These factories don’t provide basic safety. It is high time we question the government and institutions and hold them liable for gaps in their promises,” Kumar said.

Bro. Varghese Theckanath of Montfort Social Institute remarked, “The Sigachi workday became a deadly incident. In the name of ease of doing business, industrial growth has been prioritised over safety.”

Dr. K. Babu Rao, retired scientist from IICT-CSIR and member of Scientists for People, stated that recurring industrial accidents revealed an avoidable pattern. He cited instances where no legal action was taken against companies and questioned the political will behind safety reforms. “All these deaths are manslaughter. The question is—do we have the social and political will to stop them?” he asked.

Dr. P.G. Rao of Scientists for People stressed the need for a culture of shared responsibility between management and workers. Legal practitioner Akhil Surya offered a critical analysis of the legal framework, noting that existing laws such as the Employees Compensation Act, 1923 were outdated and inadequate. He also criticised the new labour codes for centralising safety protocols and removing the power of state governments to update the list of hazardous industries. Surya argued that the state must bear responsibility for ensuring compliance, and warned against letting “ex gratia” compensation divert attention from accountability. He explained the ideological difference between statutory compensation and ex gratia payments.

Dr. Sagar Dhara described the phenomenon as disaster capitalism, calling such repeated tragedies a “slow genocide.” Other speakers included Dr. Prakash Louis S.J., Smt. Sathvika Gupta, who pointed out gaps in safety oversight, and Sri Jagdish Patel, who called for the adoption of industrial manslaughter laws.

Speakers highlighted a refusal to learn from past incidents, failure of regulatory agencies, weak enforcement, and delays in compensation disbursal. Even after a month, victims’ families had not received full payments, with amounts being released only in small instalments.

The workshop concluded with a strong call to action for both industry and government. Participants unanimously demanded immediate steps to strengthen regulatory capacity in Telangana’s industrial hubs, consider legal accountability through industrial manslaughter laws, institutionalise worker participation in safety decisions, mandate transparent incident reporting, and provide long-term support for affected families and migrant workers.

Organisers affirmed that “safety is everyone’s job” and vowed to continue advocating for reforms that put people’s lives before profit.

For more information:

Varghese Theckanath s.g. (9000206845); Dr. K. Babu Rao (9491116543); S. Jeevan Kumar (9848986286)

By Catholic Connect Reporter