Regulating the Regulators
16 January, 2020
Regulating
the regulators
On 11 January, 2020 at least 8 persons
were killed and several others were injured, six of them grievously, due to a
massive blast that occurred at ANK Pharma, MIDC, Boisar, 100 km from Mumbai.
The factory manufactured ammonium nitrate, an explosive and a combustible
substance used to produce fertilizer.
The disturbing fact is, though there
were four regulatory authorities- special planning authority under MIDC, labour
department, MIDC fire department and Directorate of Industrial Safety and
Health, to implement the guidelines related to industrial safety and labour
norms as per Factory Act, 1948, this worst accident happened. Major accidents
keep happening at alarming intervals, not only in Maharashtra but also in other
states.
As per Labour and Employment Ministry,
everyday 47 factory workers are injured and 3 die in accidents. In three years,
2014 to 2016, 3562 workers lost their lives and 51,124 were injured in
accidents that occurred in factories across the country.
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamilnadu are
the top three states when it comes to fatalities. During the three years
mentioned above, 687 workers died in Gujarat, 482 in Maharashtra and 296 in
Tamilnadu.
It is an open secret that industries
brazenly violate all the safety norms with impunity after entering into an
unholy alliance with the pliant so called regulatory authorities. The
regulatory authorities would never raise any serious lapse, either due to the
‘no interference money’ paid or due to pathetic incompetence. More the number
of regulating agencies more will be the competition to share the loot.
Is there any solution to rectify the
systemic rot that has taken deep roots in every area of governance?
Data from the National Crime Records
Bureau shows, Maharashtra tops the country in corruption cases for three years
in a row-2016 to 2018, with a pathetic conviction rate of 15%, which used to be
higher in the 90s. The pendency of corruption and vigilance cases in court is
as high as 93%. As far as departmental action is concerned, corrupt public
servants seem to have got away with just a rap on the knuckles.
Over 930 corruption cases were reported
in 2018 in Maharashtra and there were just 56 convictions. With the substantial
dilution of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the control that the
government has on the Anti Corruption Bureau, cases are registered and closed
at the direction of the politicians.
It is interesting to note that only a
negligible number of industry regulating officials are caught for corruption.
This is because; industries don’t report the matter to avoid the vindictive
reaction and the harassment that will be unleashed by the government agencies, which
have enormous powers.
There is no solution for this menace
unless the industries change their model of managing the regulatory agencies. More
regulating authorities will only lead to more corruption and more mayhem.
Contributing 2% of the profit to
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives is not the real measure of
the corporate’s concern for the society. Concern for the safety, health and
welfare of the employees and the society at large are the real indicators. Self
regulation is the only lasting solution to stop the murder of the poor
unsuspecting industrial accident victims.
Dr. C K Sreedharan
www.sreedharanck.com
Valuable input about the incidents which take place around us.... So many people are injured or die... It's time to take necessary action to make better India. Good sir to bring such issues to our notice.
ReplyDeleteAs disturbing as this is, one wonders why human life and wellbeing is of utter disregard to businesses across the country. Where developed countries like Finland and UK are aiming towards better work life balance and improved productivity of their workforce, Indian companies fail to even recognise the basic rights of its workforce; right to live a healthy and safe life.
ReplyDeleteNot just the manufacturing industry, this is a trend also witnessed in the booming service sector were employees are increasingly battling lifestyle diseases and burnout due to erratic work times and unrealistic deadlines. Time is right to rebrand the country and stop marketing ourselves as a hub for 'cheap labour' and focus on the wellbeing and welfare of the workforce
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DeleteExcellent details,info & analysis .Appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThank you sir for sparing your valuable time to read and comment.
DeleteSad situation and that to in a PHARMA Plant. This proves that there is no value for human life. Authority shows blind eyes and there will be some name sake investigation and no time bound conclusion or corrective actions. Unfortunately people also have short memories who raises such issue when it reccurs. I read in the news that one lady perished in an accident who was working along with two kids also on reactor floor two families were staying. How this can happen or how people in charge of FIRE & SAFETY have permitted. Ridiculous!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ashish for your thought provking comments
DeleteGood insights into a persistent issue!
ReplyDelete