DISH report finds serious safety violations by the chemical co

A Dombivli MIDC blast at Amudan Chemicals killed 13 and injured 67, revealing severe safety violations. Compensation for affected residents is still pending.

Dombivli MIDC blast that killed 13 people

DISH report finds serious safety violations by the chemical co

Anamika Gharat

anamika.gharat@htlive.in

THANE: Investigation into the massive blast in Amudan Chemicals Pvt Ltd located in Dombivli MIDC on May 23, which caused the death of 13 people and left 67 injured, has revealed serious safety violations. The blast also caused damage to 16 nearby establishments and 980 properties in the surrounding area.

The Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) has concluded that uncontrolled addition of raw material and lack of alarms and additional cooling system to remove excess heat generated in the reactor led to the massive blast in the company that manufactures peroxide.

In its report, DISH stated that the company failed to adhere to chemical limits and procedures and failed to follow rules and give proper notification to the authorities about changed quantities. Additionally, there was a lack of qualified personnel and essential fire safety measures.

The report stated that the DI Methyl Phalate( DMP) tank in the factory exploded and was thrown 12.8 metres away from the location. After the explosion, the combustible raw material and the finished products caught fire, and the flames eventually spread to five adjacent factories.

At the time of the blast, the factory had six hazardous chemical substances - Tertiary Butyl HydroPeroxide, Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide, Tert-Butyl Per Benzoate, Di Tert Butyl Peroxide, Acetyl Acetone Peroxide and Cumene HydroPeroxide. These chemicals were mixed to produce raw materials for the company’s products.

DISH officials said they had collected samples of the reactor and the crater and sent those for analysis. The analysis has revealed that due to uncontrolled inflow of raw material like reactants, exothermic reaction generated excessive heat and high pressure inside the reactor, and as there was no additional cooling system to remove the excess heat, the blast happened.

“On the reactor system, there was no alarm or interlock, such as utility failure alarm, agitator failure alarm, high temperature alarm, alarm of high rate of addition of limiting the reactant which is added at controlled rate,” said the report. “Raw material additional rate should be controlled by flow of loop, and agitator tripling system was not available or installed on the reactor. Hence, this accident occurred.”

The report also noted the absence of any facility to control addition of sulphuric acid and that the chemical was being directly pumped into the reactor from the carboy through vacuum charging. It also noted that the additional cooling system was absent during Runway Reaction, and sulfuric acid was charged directly into the reactor without controlled addition. While a safety relief valve was present, a rupture disc was not installed.

The reactor lacked essential alarms and interlocks, including utility failure and high-temperature alarms, which contributed to the accident. Additionally, Amudan Company violated the Factories Act of 1948 by not employing qualified personnel to manage hazardous substances, resulting in inadequate oversight of chemical handling.

DISH authorities have filed nine cases against the owner of Amudan Chemicals for severe negligence under the Factories Act, currently pending in the Chief Justice Magistrate’s Court.

The blasts at Amudan Chemicals Pvt Ltd resulted in the immediate arrest of owners Malay and Sneha Mehta under IPC sections 304, 324, 326, 385, 286, and 427. Senior PI Ashok Koli led the investigation, collecting remains and DNA samples for identification over six weeks. The crime branch submitted a 2,500-page chargesheet to the Kalyan sessions court, including witness statements and reports.

Embed box: Affected people yet to get compensation

After the blast, chief minister Eknath Shinde had announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the families of the 13 deceased and had assured the injured that the government would cover their medical expenses as well as provide compensation for those residents whose properties were damaged. The affected people are, however, yet to get any compensation from the government even though the revenue department has completed its survey of the damaged properties.

Frustrated residents are now blaming the government for the false assurances, stating that they are facing financial hardships for no fault of theirs.

Bhagyashree Doltade, 45, said their family of five is completely dependent on the meagre income of her husband, who works as an auto driver. Recalling the blast, she said, “The windows shattered and our building shook. We ran out to save ourselves stepping on broken glass pieces. Our children were terrified and couldn’t sleep for a week afterward. We had to spend ₹40,000 to repair our windows and cracked walls, and our fans were damaged. The government assured us of compensation and conducted a panchnama three months ago, but we haven’t received a single rupee.”

Yashwant Pawar, 73, who owns two buildings in the area, said, “I incurred a loss of ₹22 lakh. My furniture shop was completely destroyed in the blast. We had to start over, and all my earnings went into repairs. Politicians perform for the public but never fulfill their promises.”

Sanjay Pawar, 48, a resident of Sai Darshan Society, said, “Each flat member has faced losses from ₹35,000 to 40,000. We had installed sheds for pre-monsoon preparation, costing ₹12 lakh. Within a week of installation, the blast occurred damaging all the sheds. Some of us are now in debt for repairing and restoring everything for our families and the community.”

Kalyan Tahsildar Sachin Shejval said that they have completed the survey of damaged properties, including houses, shops, and companies. “A total loss of ₹1.50 crore has been reported, and a file has been submitted to the collector’s office. Once the payment is sanctioned by the government, everyone will receive due compensation. The families of the deceased have already received compensation.”