Telangana pharmaceutical industries logged 97 major fire accidents in past decade: Fire Services Director-General Y. Nagi Reddy

The new government would like to decentralise and set up pharma villages, in 10 clusters, Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said

The rise of Telangana as a pharma hub over the past few years has seen a challenge with a rise in number of accidents in the facilities. Telangana recorded 97 major fire accidents in pharmaceutical industries over the past 10 years resulting in a loss of about ₹93 crore worth of property, Director General of Fire Services Y. Nagi Reddy said on Thursday (November 07).

Speaking at the inaugural session of the National Seminar on Fire, Electrical Security and Automation (FEMA) for pharma industries, the official stressed that handling fire in a pharmaceutical industry is challenging due to the different kinds of gases and chemicals used there. “Pharmaceutical industries pose additional hazards compared to other industries, especially from the use and transfer of solvents. Fires and explosions in solvents or dust are common hazards in this industry and regular fire safety audit is a must,” Mr. Nagi Reddy explained.

He advised the pharmaceutical companies to use technology for 24×7 remote monitoring and maintenance.

The two-day seminar organised by the Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI) began at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) on Thursday. The event comes in the backdrop of increasing number of fire accidents in pharma industries in Hyderabad and elsewhere.

Special Chief Secretary (Industries) Jayesh Ranjan said accidents of any kind derail an industry. “Many pharma companies are under the watch list of European regulators for non-compliance of ESG guidelines. If this does not change, they will stop importing pharmaceutical products from India,” he cautioned.

Noting the the issue of talent scarcity in pharma companies, he noted that Young India Skill University would provide courses on fire safety in association with FSAI.

“In the past, the Telangana government announced 20,000-acre pharma city but the new government would like to decentralise and set up pharma villages, in some 10 clusters,” he added.

President of FSAI’s Hyderabad Chapter Prasad Nishtala said that pharma industries in Hyderabad are resilient and well equipped, however more can be done on the training front.

Over 300 senior managers of pharma industries and representatives of over 100 pharma companies attended the event and multiple technical sessions on subjects, including hazard analysis, risk identification and mitigation in production areas, among others.

Published - November 07, 2024 06:58 pm IST