Nagpur: In a scathing indictment of systemic safety failures, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered criminal proceedings against the administration of Ordnance Factory, Bhandara, holding that “safe practices were not adopted” at the defence explosives unit where a devastating blast last year claimed nine lives and injured several others.
In a detailed order pronounced on Monday, the NGT’s Western Zone Bench at Pune, comprising judicial member Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, fixed responsibility on Pune-based Munitions India Limited (MIL), which operates the Bhandara factory, for gross violations of mandatory safety norms. The factory manufactures high-grade explosives for the Indian Army.
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The tribunal was hearing a suo motu case initiated on the basis of a local media report dated January 25, 2025, titled “Maharashtra ordnance unit blast blows away factory roof, 8 killed.” The explosion occurred on January 24, 2025, at around 10.40am in the Low Temperature Plastic Explosive (LTPE) section of Building PE-23. The blast triggered the collapse of the structure, trapping 13 workers beneath the debris.
Eight workers were killed on the spot, while another succumbed to injuries on February 28. Relying on affidavits submitted by the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, the tribunal recorded that standard operating procedures were blatantly ignored and that no adequate provisions were made to prevent solidification of material, an omission that led to the explosion due to adiabatic compression.
The bench further noted the presence of two trade apprentices at the site, observing that they were neither trained nor authorised to be deployed in such hazardous operations. “These lapses on the part of Munitions India Limited resulted in the occurrence for which it should be held accountable,” the tribunal said, holding that there was a clear violation of Section 7A(2)(a) of the Factories Act, 1948.
Directing strict action, the NGT ordered the Bhandara Collector to initiate criminal proceedings against the factory occupier, subject to mandatory approval from the Central Government. While taking note of the compensation, ex gratia payments and compassionate appointments provided to the families of the deceased, the tribunal categorically stated that financial relief could not absolve the management of accountability for safety breaches.
In a stern warning, the tribunal ruled that Munitions India Limited “shall not be allowed to operate unless the remedial measures suggested are fully implemented.” Environmental regulators also came under scrutiny. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board informed the tribunal that post-blast air quality monitoring revealed pollutant levels exceeding permissible limits, following which closure directions were issued on February 25, 2025.
Disposing of the case, the tribunal made it clear that the Bhandara tragedy was not an isolated industrial accident but the direct consequence of institutional negligence and systemic safety failures at one of the country’s most sensitive defence installations.
