The Hindu : Fire in Ranbaxy: `safety norms complied with'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 13, 2003

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Fire in Ranbaxy: `safety norms complied with'

MOHALI JUNE 12 . Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited today claimed that the production unit where a major fire broke out last night complied with all international safety standards.

"The fire which broke out in a section of one of the bulk drug facilities of the company here met with the highest international standards required for such units,'' Senior Vice President-Global Manufacturing, Ranbaxy, Pushpinder Bindra, told reporters at the factory premises here.

Pointing out that it was the only major fire to have broken out since the company's inception in 1962, he however, said, "it is not only with Ranbaxy alone but any pharmaceutical company where chemicals are involved, minor fire cannot be prevented 100 per cent.''

Ruling out sabotage in the incident, which left two dead besides many injured, Mr. Bindra also sought to allay fears about the toxicity of fumes that emerged from the factory after the fire. "We want to assure everyone that the fumes were non-toxic in nature,'' he said.

"We will be finding what went wrong, but to jump to any conclusion at this moment will be incorrect,'' he said.

Meanwhile, a number of villagers living adjacent to the factory gathered outside the Ranbaxy premises here demanding its closure and alleging "it has been compromising on safety standards.''

"We want immediate closure of Ranbaxy factory here as there have been fires in the past as well, one in 1988, one in 1995 and now this one. Our houses were badly damaged and two young boys received injuries from pieces of flying glass. We demand that this factory should be shifted elsewhere,'' said Harbhajan Singh, who lives in village Mohali, adjacent to the factory. — PTI

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