|NT Bureau|
Chennai, July 4:
Authorities on Saturday initiated a multi-agency operation to safely extract and remove ammonia gas stored at a local seafood export company, where a tragic leak last month claimed the lives of 18 women migrant workers.
As a precautionary measure, traffic in the vicinity has been diverted and workers from neighbouring industries within a 300-metre radius of the facility have been evacuated, Tiruvallur District Collector S Kavitha told reporters here.
The extraction process, which began at 8 am, is scheduled to conclude by 5 pm, though officials are prepared to extend the operation to Sunday morning if the removal remains incomplete.
The clearance operation comes in the wake of the June 21 gas leak at the St Peter & Paul Seafoods Exports Private Limited plant in Kannigaipair village. A toxic ammonia leak from a cooling pipe left 18 women workers dead and over 80 others hospitalised with severe respiratory distress. The victims, all migrant workers, predominantly hailed from Odisha, Assam, and Jharkhand.
Following the tragedy, the state government, the State Commission for Women, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) launched probes into alleged industrial safety lapses, leading to the arrest of the factory owners.
Providing details on Saturday’s clearance drive, Kavitha said the operation is being executed with the coordination of the safety team, health department, fire and rescue services, police, and pollution control officials following two days of logistical planning.
To ensure strict safety, authorities have restricted access to a 30-metre ‘hot zone’, where only 15 technical experts equipped with protective kits are permitted to handle the gas removal. Fire, health, and rescue personnel are stationed on standby in a 30 to 75-metre radius, ready to mobilise immediately if emergency communication is received from the hot zone via walkie-talkie.
An outer perimeter has been secured at 300 metres, where traffic has been completely halted and additional emergency teams are deployed. The Collector clarified that while no residential properties fall within this 300-metre exclusion zone, residents have been briefed on safety protocols and response actions in the event of an accidental leak. Officials have also urged the public to remain calm and cooperate with the authorities.
Once extracted, the ammonia will be transported back to the supply company for a final decision regarding its safe disposal or reuse. Additionally, the Food Safety department has collected samples of the prawns stored at the secured warehouse, and a decision on their disposal will be taken after laboratory test results are received.