Bhopal, July 08: Madhya Pradesh government will conduct an inquiry into the blasts at two private explosive manufacturing factories on Sunday in Bairhan industrial area of Singaruli, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.
The explosions at the factories had claimed 16 lives and left 49 injured.
Principal Secretary of Labour department would conduct an inquiry into the blasts on Sunday evening at two explosives manufacturing companies in Bairhan industrial area, Chouhan told state assembly here.
Replying after a discussion on an adjournmnet motion relating to blasts moved by main opposition Congress, the Chief Minister said that the principal secretary has been asked to submit his report within a month.
Referring to charges of negligence levelled against government by Congress MLAs, Chouhan said that it was not right to make allegations and counter allegations with regard to the incident.
He said that the factories were not under the direct control of state government but were licensed by chief controller of explosives whose office is in Nagpur.
The Chief Minister said that financial assistance had been made available to the families of the victims and added that all other possible help would be given to them.
Chouhan said that a magisterial enquiry had already been ordered into the incident but as it was felt that this was not enough, the principal secretary of the labour department had also been asked to look into it.
Speaker Ishwar Das Rohani later rejected the adjournment motion moved by 22 Congress members.
Congress members demanded that families of victims should be given Rs 10 lakh each as compensation.
The leader of the opposition, Jamuna Devi said that such incidents occur as the state government did not have any industrial policy and it had not learnt any lesson from the Bhopal Gas tragedy.
—Agencies