28 fall ill after ammonia leak in prawn processing plant run by BJD leader’s son

In November 2019, over 90 workers including minors were hospitalised after chlorine gas leaked at the Falcon Marine prawn processing plant . The plant was sealed and a case of negligence was lodged against the plant authorities in that case

Published on: Sep 28, 2022, 22:36:57 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR, 28 workers, many of them women, fell ill after inhaling ammonia gas that reportedly leaked from a unit of a leading prawn processing plant owned by the son of a senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader in coastal Balasore district on Wednesday evening.

Highland Agro is a partnership firm, promoted by Pratik Jena and family, and was established in the year 2019, according to the company website (Photo courtesy/highlandagro.com)

The incident took place at 7pm at the plant located in Gadabahanaga village in Khantapada area of the district.

Police officers who rushed to the prawn processing factory of Highland Agrofood Private Limited, a plant owned by Pratik Jena, son of former BJD MP and district BJD chief Rabindra Jena, said the condition of 9 workers was a little serious as they inhaled more gas than others.

Police said the workers who came in contact with the gas complained of burning of throat, nose and respiratory tract.

“While 19 were admitted to the local community health centre, 9 others were shifted to the Balasore district headquarters hospital,” said inspector of Khantapada police station, Bimal Kumar Nayak.

Doctors treating the workers said as ammonia is irritating and corrosive, excess exposure can cause an accumulation of the fluid in the lungs. “Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation. Many of them complained of problems in breathing and irritation in the eyes. We are giving them oxygen for breathing,” said a doctor at the Balasore district headquarters hospital.

Police officials said they are yet to detain anyone over the gas leak.

In November 2019, over 90 workers including minors were hospitalised after chlorine gas leaked at the Falcon Marine prawn processing plant owned by leading industrialist Tara Ranjan Patnaik in the Balasore district. The plant was sealed and a case of negligence was lodged against the plant authorities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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