File pic: Firefighters douse flames after the Sept 30 MRPL blast in Mangaluru
He had suffered 35% burns in the blast at the Coker Hydrotreater (CHT) unit, which was followed by a fire. Manish Karkada, of Haleyangadi, was charred to death in the blast, while 12 others were injured. The deceased was identified as Rajesh A D’Silva. He also sought to make public the preliminary investigation report into the causes of the incident and demanded a probe by a committee comprising civil society representatives.
To ensure the financial security of the deceased’s family, MRPL management assures the deceased’s family ex gratia of Rs 90 lakh, with the total compensation package of Rs 1.2 crore. He demanded that MRPL pay Rs 1.2 crore in compensation to D’Silva’s family, on a par with the compensation paid to Karkada’s family. Rudolph VJ Noronha, chief general manager (corporate branding and corporate communications), confirmed the death in a release and stated that MRPL management stands firmly with the bereaved family and extends its deepest condolences.
CPM Dakshina Kannada secretary Muneer Katipalla condoled D’Silva’s death and alleged that he had fallen victim to MRPL’s negligence and failure to ensure workplace safety. CPM further demanded direct employment at MRPL for a family member of each of the deceased workers and immediate disbursement of compensation to residents of surrounding villages whose properties were damaged in the blast.