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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Operating the Sigachi plant for 35 years without a single incident, says MD
Two days after a deadly explosion at Sigachi Industries' manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram, Hyderabad, which claimed at least 40 lives and left many injured, the cause of the blast remains unclear. The company on Wednesday denied that a reactor explosion was to blame. Highly placed sources in the State government, citing preliminary assessments, pointed to multiple safety lapses: a lack of adequate entry and exit points for workers, poor ventilation and alleged violations of setback norms, with the company reportedly utilising almost the entire land parcel. A senior official said the company was under the scanner and a government department had issued notices as recent as December 2024. The official, however, did not elaborate on whether the company responded or took any corrective action. Labour Minister G. Vivekanand told The Hindu that the government would convene a meeting with representatives of pharma companies to review safety protocols in the wake of the explosion. The focus now is to ensure that all Red Category industries have adequately trained personnel handling each department, he said. In a written response to The Hindu's queries, Sigachi Industries maintained that it had all the required permissions and permits to operate. 'We have been operating this plant for 35 years without a single incident,' the company stated. On government officials' observations as well as the FIR in the case highlighting alleged laxity on the part of the company to upgrade to new equipment, the company said the unit is one of the earliest plants that Sigachi commissioned. 'Over the years, Sigachi has continuously invested in retrofitting, equipment upgrades, structural reinforcements and compliance-based audits to ensure the facility meets both national and international safety standards. We are devastated by this [incident], given this record,' the company said. The Hyderabad unit has been certified ISO 45001:2018 international standard for occupational health and safety management systems that helps businesses create a safer and healthier workplace. As part of the certification, regular audits are conducted. 'There were no mission-critical non-conformities found that could lead to safety concerns or issues,' Sigachi said without mentioning when the last audit was conducted. It said an internal safety review has been initiated and Sigachi remains committed to cooperating with all legal, safety, and regulatory audits to strengthen safety norms. All learnings will be incorporated to reinforce and redesign the safety framework, it said. Speaking to media at the site, Sigachi MD and CEO Amit Raj Sinha said the plant building is old but the equipment inside are being constantly upgraded. On the cause behind the incident, he said it seems to be dust explosion in dryer section. The company has three such facilities in the country and no solvents were used in them, he added. thanked Chief Minister Reddy and Health, Labour and Industries Ministers, the local MLA, District Collector and officials for their 'unconditional support'. To queries, he said there were 143 employees at the plant during the incident and the company is in the process of collating the number of contract workers. The company is paying hospital bills of those injured and its executives were stationed at all the hospitals to provide assistance to the families of those deceased and injured, he said.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Telangana pharma plant explosion: Toll rises to 38, govt says still 11 missing
The death toll from the explosion at the Sigachi Industries ' plant in Pashamylaram has risen to 38 on Wednesday even as the company announced a Rs 1 crore compensation amid allegation of usage of outdated machinery in the unit. State Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, who has been supervising rescue operations at the accident site, said that 11 people were still missing. Although most of the debris has been cleared, no human remains have been found, the minister further said. Sangareddy District Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj told PTI that the toll rose to 38. In a regulatory filing with bourses, Sigachi said the deadly explosion in its plant has killed 40 persons. However hours after the filing, Amit Raj Sinha, Managing Director & CEO of Sigachi told media persons "there seems to be some over calculation. I believe right now the death toll is at 38". Live Events Replying to a query on the possible cause for the blast, he said "I believe that there is a dust explosion which has taken place". Further, the company denied it used old machinery. It also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore each to the families of the deceased. "It is with anguish that we share details of the accident at the Sigachi Industries facility in Pashamylaram, Telangana, which resulted in the loss of 40 valued team members and left over 33 injured," the company said in a statement earlier. Sinha later clarified the deaths stood at 38. Meanwhile, a police FIR filed against the company stated Sigachi had been using outdated machinery and workers were compelled to operate it. The Sangareddy police, based on a complaint by a family member of one of the victims, on Monday registered an FIR under various sections of BNS against the factory management in connection with the explosion. "The complainant's father and other employees of Sigachi company informed the Sigachi company management several times regarding change of machinery as they are too old and every possibility of danger may occur and cause heavy loss to the property and men," the FIR said. But those requests fell on the deaf ears of the company management, and they continued using the old machinery, as a result of which an explosion occurred in the unit, the FIR further said citing the complainant. Responding, Amit Raj Sinha denied the allegations. He said the facility was old but not the machinery. "The facility is old, but there can be no old equipment which can run and give productivity. So, every time, there is refurbishment. Overall, you change motors, you change running equipment, because otherwise it will not run. It is extremely incorrect to say that there were old equipment running," he told reporters. He added the company was taking care of medical expenses of the injured. Meanwhile, minister Raja Narasimha met family members of the deceased and assured them government help. He also directed the authorities to provide food and shelter to the family of the deceased and the missing, an official release said. A senior official of the Telangana Fire Department said the company has no NoC from the department. There were no adequate safety measures, including fire alarms and heat sensors in the plant. However, another senior official of the department opined that the building in which the plant was located might not have had the required height to obtain the NoC. A senior official of the Department of Factories told PTI that though the exact cause is still under investigation, the explosion is believed to have resulted from excessive pressure build-up in the dryer of the unit. "Basic reason is excess pressure built up in the dryer. The contributory factors for the pressure building have to be examined. The factors could be temperature exceeding the desired levels, besides others," the official said. Meanwhile, investigators probing the devastating explosion are facing significant challenges as three key officials of the firm who could have provided crucial data have died in the tragedy. The deaths of the factory manager, DGM (production) and an operator have posed a major hurdle in getting critical information for the probe, an official of the factories department said. The investigation by the department may take about a fortnight, subject to the availability of information. However, he said the result of the probe will not be delayed. The state government on Wednesday issued orders constituting a committee of experts to identify the causes and establish the sequence of events that led to the major explosion. The committee is expected to visit the site on Thursday. So far, 19 bodies have been handed over to their family members, a Revenue department official told PTI. The identity of the bodies was established either by conducting DNA tests or the concerned family members identifying them, he said. The process of identifying the remaining bodies was underway, he said. Meanwhile, the family members of missing workers continued to wait agonizingly for any information about their loved ones. They alleged that the search for human presence and clearing the debris has been going on at a slow pace. "The body of a person was found today and his skin was not at all damaged. His clothes were intact. Had he been extricated the same day (Monday), he would have survived. Why is there so much delay," a woman told reporters.
Mint
18-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Small-cap stock under ₹100: Sigachi Industries shares rise after THIS Capex update
Small-cap stock under ₹ 100: Sigachi Industries share price rose nearly 2 per cent in Wednesday's trading session after the company announced the opening of new R&D Center in Hyderabad. The small-cap stock opened at ₹ 54.90 apiece on Wednesday, as compared to previous close of ₹ 54.72. At 9:35 am, Sigachi Industries shares climbed to ₹ 55.62, however, the stock gave up the gains, touching an intraday low to ₹ 54.52. Pharma company said on June 18 that the company has officially opened its new R&D Center in Hyderabad—an advanced facility designed to accelerate the development of critical APIs and enhance in-house analytical capabilities. The facility is poised to play a key role in advancing Sigachi's innovation roadmap and enhancing its responsiveness to global regulatory demands, the company said in a release. 'This R&D Center is a strategic asset that will significantly strengthen our development capabilities and enable us to respond swiftly to market needs, it reflects our focus on building operational depth and creating long-term value for our customers, partners, and stakeholders in an evolving global pharmaceutical environment," said Amit Raj Sinha, Managing Director and CEO of Sigachi Industries. In a press release, the company said - The Hyderabad R&D Center is designed to: Strengthen API development and regulatory alignment by integrating advanced systems for seamless synthesis, analytics, and global filings, fuel pipeline growth through targeted investment of up to USD 1 million to support priority APIs and complex intermediates, focus resources effectively by aligning the pharma product portfolio to strategic therapeutic segments, and empower a high-impact research team to lead development efforts for global markets.
Mint
18-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Small-cap stock under ₹100: Sigachi Industries shares rise after THIS Capex update
Small-cap stock under ₹ 100: Sigachi Industries share price rose nearly 2 per cent in Wednesday's trading session after the company announced the opening of new R&D Center in Hyderabad. The small-cap stock opened at ₹ 54.90 apiece on Wednesday, as compared to previous close of ₹ 54.72. At 9:35 am, Sigachi Industries shares climbed to ₹ 55.62, however, the stock gave up the gains, touching an intraday low to ₹ 54.52. Pharma company said on June 18 that the company has officially opened its new R&D Center in Hyderabad—an advanced facility designed to accelerate the development of critical APIs and enhance in-house analytical capabilities. The facility is poised to play a key role in advancing Sigachi's innovation roadmap and enhancing its responsiveness to global regulatory demands, the company said in a release. 'This R&D Center is a strategic asset that will significantly strengthen our development capabilities and enable us to respond swiftly to market needs, it reflects our focus on building operational depth and creating long-term value for our customers, partners, and stakeholders in an evolving global pharmaceutical environment," said Amit Raj Sinha, Managing Director and CEO of Sigachi Industries. In a press release, the company said - The Hyderabad R&D Center is designed to: Strengthen API development and regulatory alignment by integrating advanced systems for seamless synthesis, analytics, and global filings, fuel pipeline growth through targeted investment of up to USD 1 million to support priority APIs and complex intermediates, focus resources effectively by aligning the pharma product portfolio to strategic therapeutic segments, and empower a high-impact research team to lead development efforts for global markets. Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
Business Upturn
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
Sigachi Industries inaugurates new R&D center in Hyderabad
By Aman Shukla Published on June 18, 2025, 10:42 IST Sigachi Industries Limited has inaugurated a new research and development center in Hyderabad aimed at strengthening its pharmaceutical capabilities. The facility is focused on advancing active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development and expanding analytical functions to meet evolving regulatory requirements. With a planned investment of up to USD 1 million, the center is expected to support the development of select priority APIs and complex intermediates. It also aligns Sigachi's pharma portfolio with key therapeutic segments to enhance operational focus. The center will be staffed by a dedicated research team tasked with developing products for global markets. Amit Raj Sinha, Managing Director and CEO of Sigachi Industries Limited, said, 'This R&D Center is a strategic asset that will significantly strengthen our development capabilities and enable us to respond swiftly to market needs, it reflects our focus on building operational depth and creating long-term value for our customers, partners, and stakeholders in an evolving global pharmaceutical environment.' Ahmedabad Plane Crash Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
