After a series of accidents in factories across the Durgapur-Asansol industrial belt as well as other parts of Bengal, the state government is preparing a new policy with stricter punitive measures to curb industrial accidents.
Bengal Minister of State for Industry Moumita Biswas Mishra said the government would not tolerate recurring industrial fatalities and was working on a policy to improve workplace safety and fix accountability.
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“We won’t allow this any longer. We are set to formulate a new policy to curb the menace,” Mishra said.
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The move comes after four contractual workers lost their lives and 10 went missing in separate industrial accidents across public sector undertakings and private factories during July.
Mishra said the government, which assumed office about two months ago, inherited a system marked by inadequate safety standards.
“We have just assumed office barely two months ago and most of such factory deaths are caused due to the unrelenting legacy of negligence caused due to the apathy of the previous government,” she said.
At present, industrial accidents are governed primarily under central legislation, including the Factories Act, 1948, and the Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923.
Section 96A of the Factories Act provides for imprisonment of up to seven years or a minimum fine of Rs 5 lakh for deaths caused by employer negligence, along with an additional fine of Rs 25 lakh under the existing legal framework.
CITU leader Biswarup Banerjee said West Bengal does not have a standalone industrial safety policy specifically addressing factory deaths.
Workplace safety, compensation and employer accountability are currently governed by central labour laws enforced through the state Labour Department.
The minister said the proposed policy would seek to strengthen industrial safety norms and ensure greater accountability of factory management.
“Shortly, we shall expedite formulating the policy as this cannot remain unaddressed any longer,” Mishra said.
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