Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) has announced compensation of ₹1.2 crore to the family of 30-year-old contract employee Manish Karkada, who was killed in Mangaluru in a fire at the company's refinery on September 30.
The announcement came on October 1, a day after the incident, as contract workers rallied outside the MRPL premises demanding compensation for the deceased worker as well as those injured in the accident.
The fire broke out around noon on September 30 after a leak in a cold separator in the Coker Hydrotreater Unit. MRPL’s emergency response and firefighting teams took control of the fire by 3 p.m. Manish Karkada’s charred body was found after the fire was extinguished.
Of the 12 people who sustained burn injuries in the incident, one person, who had burns around 40%, is still in critical condition and is being treated at a private hospital. Two other injured people were treated at another private hospital, and nine others have now been discharged after receiving medical help.
The accident has prompted statutory and independent investigations. A two-member committee including the Joint Director and Deputy Director of the Department of Factories and Boilers visited the accident site on October 1 to conduct the statutory inquiry.
Karnataka government has also ordered a separate high-level investigation. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has ordered officials to conduct a high-level investigation of the circumstances that led to the blast and fire. The state-level inquiry will be independent of the investigation by the Central Government, said the government.
The incident has also raised concerns among MRPL's contract workforce. During a visit to Wenlock Hospital's mortuary on the night of September 30, district in-charge Minister U.T. Khader met the family members of Manish Karkada to express his condolences.
Some of the contract workers who were in the mortuary alleged negligence and demanded adequate compensation for all victims. They also raised their concerns directly to an MRPL official who visited the mortuary.
Khader said the Karnataka government would take up the families affected by the incident. Compensation, he said, could not cover the loss suffered by the family, but steps would be taken to ensure relief for the family of the deceased, injured workers and the residents whose houses were damaged in the blast.
Manish's death has been particularly distressing for his family. Manish and his twin brother Anish had been working at MRPL for about six months, said his father Alfred Vasant Kumar.
According to Kumar, the brothers were assigned to the same shift on the day of the incident. Anish left the area for lunch while Manish remained at the workplace. Manish was caught up in the incident and lost his life.
After the police formalities and Manish's body had been received, his family performed the last rites at Haleyangady.
The police investigation has also started. Based on a complaint filed by Ravi Poojary, Surathkal police filed a case against the heads of the Coker Hydrotreater Unit and MRPL. The case is based on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Section 287 concerning negligent conduct about fire, Section 125(b) concerning a rash or negligent act endangering human life, and Section 106 concerning causing death through a rash or negligent act.
MRPL's compensation will provide immediate financial assistance to the family of the deceased worker, and the statutory and government inquiries will be conducted into the technical and operational aspects of the incident.
The investigations are crucial to determining how the high-pressure equipment rupture occurred, whether safety protocols were applied, and if the fire and deaths were caused by such a breach.
Although there was one injured worker still in critical condition and investigations are ongoing, the focus is on the safety of the workers at the refinery as well as relief action for those affected by the September 30 accident.
