Of a near disaster and the providential escape

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 4. The `accidental launch' of the short-range missile inside the Bharat Dynamics Limited in Kanchanbagh today brought into focus the near catastrophe which the residents nearby could have had faced.

It was a providential escape on Thursday as the missile could have landed anywhere but on the ground. Not only does the defence establishment store many such missiles but it also houses missiles like `Trishul', `Prithvi' and `Akash'. And, if the missile was pointing towards the sky before it was `launched', one can well imagine the terrible consequences.

Considering the criticality of the situation and the importance attached, it was indeed surprising that there was no one to come out with authentic information about what had exactly happened inside the BDL premises. There were only heresays abound.

While some of the panic-stricken locals ran away sensing the sudden evacuation of the employees, a few gathered courage to come to the unit to find out what had happened. They were turned away with a bland "don't worry".

For newsmen it was quite a harrowing experience. Even as they reached the gates of the BDL and were trying to gather information, employees -- who had gathered outside -- physically prevented photographers and video cameramen from doing their job as the security men guarding the gates watched.

"This is a defence establishment, why are you trying to make big headlines out of a small accident. The national security will be at risk," they shouted. When the photographers and videographers tried to take a picture of the Police Commissioner, Mr. P. Ramulu, they were pushed and pulled. Arguments and shoving continued for sometime before wiser counsel prevailed and newsmen were left to do their job.

A senior official of the BDL finally came out after 3 p.m. but he was of little help as he merely said a meeting was being held to probe the incident. The employees, many of them shell-shocked, were seen at the two private hospitals at L.B. Nagar and Malakpet and also at the Osmania general hospital's mortuary discussing the incident.

Informed sources said the hospitalised BDL employees were not in a position to talk to anyone and none was allowed to meet them either. At the mortuary, colleagues of the killed technical assistant, K. Narasimha Chary, tried to console his wife, Mrs. Sandhya. The staff were bitter that no senior official was present to meet the members of the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, in a press statement, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions has demanded a judicial probe into the accident. Mr. S. Veeraiah, general secretary, said the truth should be ferreted out and those responsible should be punished.

BDL plays it down

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 4. The BDL sought to play down the incident on Thursday by stating that "an accident took place around 12.15 p.m. in one of the factory buildings leading to a fire in the building."

A BDL press release issued in the evening said that the fire was controlled within an hour by the fire personnel of BDL with the help of defence PSUs, defence labs and A.P. Fire Services. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

It further said: "Due to the accident, four persons were treated for minor injuries while an employee succumbed to the injuries."

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Section  : Southern States
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