Dombivli Blast: Fadnavis Slams Uddhav, Says No Action Taken

Nagpur, May 24 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday hit out at the opposition, saying Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, when he was the chief minister, did nothing to move factories from Dombivili MIDC, where an explosion at a chemical plant killed nine people.

Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, Fadnavis said the Mahayuti government will work towards finding alternative sites for these factories.

Earlier in the day, state Congress chief Nana Patole slammed the state government over the blast, claiming that the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had ordered to shut the chemical plant, but it was revived under the present regime.

A boiler exploded at Amudan Chemicals, located in Phase 2 of Dombivli MIDC on Thursday afternoon. Nine persons died, while 64 others, including women working in the vicinity, were injured in the incident.

"Any industry cannot be moved in a day, and for many years, discussions were on to move these factories. However, Uddhav Thackeray has not done anything in this regard," the deputy chief minister said.

Serious cognisance should be taken regarding this incident, and alternative sites must be given to factories, and the state government will work towards this, he said.

Patole claimed that the MVA government had issued orders to shut down the factory in Dombivli, but it was permitted to operate again when the Mahayuti government came to power.

He accused the state government of corruption and said it was responsible for the loss of innocent lives.

The Congress leader further alleged that Fadnavis and the "khokhe" government tarnished the image of Maharashtra, and they will get a sound reply when the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared on June 4.

When asked about the MVA's protests regarding the Pune car accident in which a 17-year-old boy allegedly fatally ran over two software engineers, Fadnavis said the opposition was trying to politicise the issue.

The deputy chief minister said the police took action transparently and approached the higher courts against the Juvenile Justice Board's decision to grant the teen bail while asking him to write a 300-word essay.

For the first time, the father of a juvenile has been arrested, and hence, strict action has been taken, he said.