Saurabh Patel shows concern over ‘chemical terror’

State Energy and Petrochemicals Minister Saurabh Patel on Thursday warned about the possibility of “chemical terrorism” owing to the state having international borders. He was addressing a gathering at the two-day “International Chemical Disasters Safety and Security Conference” which began at the Gujarat National Law University campus in Gandhinagar.

“It is a matter of concern that we are seeing a vulnerability for chemical and industrial disasters occurring as an aftermath of natural disasters, like the Kandla cyclone which affected oil terminals, transportation facilities, warehouses and storages. Gujarat’s international borders also make ‘chemical terrorism’ possible for causing chemical disasters in the state. Industries have to come forward and take a proactive role in awareness and sensitisation of staff in the chemicals they are manufacturing and in worker safety at the industrial units. An institutional framework has to be prepared and SMEs have to be made aware,” said Patel.

Incidentally, the conference came a day after farmers of around 102 villages in Olpad taluka of Surat demanded closure of Cyanide factory of Hindustan Chemical Company citing fear of a Bhopal gas tragedy-like situation building up. “Having the maximum number of factories in the country, Gujarat is leading in the chemical industry sector. Hence we should lead in safety measures, however, we are expecting companies to come forward in creating awareness. We have a high number of hazardous chemical industries in the state,” he added.

Reiterating the need for more sensitization and awareness of chemical disaster prevention and management, Ravi Kapoor, vice-president of Indian Chemical Council pointed out that the first help desk for this sector was set up in Vadodara in 2004, which has till now conducted more than 100 awareness sessions.