No RDX involved in Sendur blast: Karunanidhi

Chennai, Apr 9: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today told the State Assembly that no RDX was involved in Saturday's jeep explosion at Sendur village in Villupram district, in which 16 people were killed and 22 others injured.

Replying to a special Call Attention Motion, raised by leaders of political parties, including the opposition AIADMK, Congress, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), CPI and CPI(M), the Chief Minister said there was no evidence to say that the jeep had carried the deadly RDX, as alleged both inside and outside the House.

The jeep, which blew up, killing 16 people, carried 200 kgs of ''slurry explosives'', 150 electric detonators and 375 mts of safety fuse, he said.

These materials were bought from a licensed godown, owned by one Sekar at Pathirapuliyur village, near Mayilam in Villupuram district they were being taken to SPL Infrastructure Private Limited, a sub contractor, involved in National Highway widening works at Vilangapadi village, when the mishap occured, he said.

The 48-year-old Sekar, who owned a licensed explosives godown for several years, procured the explosives from Sivasakthi Explosives in Salem. He had been supplying explosives to several stone quaries in and around Tindivanam district, he said.

Terming the explosion as an ''unexpected tragedy'', Mr Karunanidhi said the incident had taught many lessons and assured that the government would consider the suggestions put forth by the leaders to avert such mishaps in the future. Agreeing with the members that the RDO inquiry ordered into the incident would not be sufficient, he said the government would order a high level probe by a senior IAS officer.

Mr Karunanidhi said the jeep was specially designed for transporting explosives. But the mishap could have been averted if the slurry explosives, detonating fuse and detonators were carried separately.

''Like fire happening due to friction in bamboo forest, friction betwen the explosives and the detonators had sparked fire, resulting in a major tragedy'', he added.

In all, 16 people or as PMK Floor leader G K Mani says, 17 people were killed in the incident and 22 injured. While 14 of them died at the spot, two succumbed to injuries in hospital. They included five women and 11 men and one is yet to be identified, he added.

Those killed included Babu, the jeep driver and his assistants Balaraman and Kumar alias Senthilkumar, he said.

Five concrete houses, eight tiled houses and 17 huts were fully or partially damaged in the impact of the explosion. Besides this, one concrete shop and four government buildings were damaged in the incident and the District Collector, quoting preliminary estimates, put the loss at Rs 28 lakhs.

After making further enquiries, the government would provide compensation or build these houses. The government would also ''adopt'' the families of those killed in the mishap.

The government would form a committee headed by the District Collector and comprising leaders of political parties and based on the recommendations of the committee, it would take the full responsibility of rehabilitating the families, he said.

Referring to a suggestion by Mr Peter Alphonse (Cong) that the government should own the responsibility for distributing licences for explosives, Mr Karunanidhi said presently, the Centre had the right for distributing licences. The state government would consult the Centre and find out whether it was possible to vest the state government with the right to issue licences for procuring and storing explosives.

Explaining the sequence of the accident, Mr Karunanidhi said the jeep, reached Pathirapuliyur junction, when local people noticed smoke emanating from it and alerted the driver. After stopping the jeep on the road side, the driver, with the help of villagers threw sand, when the jeep blew up, he said.

Referring to AIADMK's demand for dismissal of the government for the explosion, he said Deputy Leader of the House O Panneerselvam, however, did not raise the demand in the House, while warning the government to take careful measures to avert such incidents in future.

These kind of incidents had happened in the past, when the DMK and the AIADMK were in power and when MGR was at the helm of affairs. In 1995, a tanker, carrying Chemicals exploded, killing 54 people and in the same year in an expolsion at Vazhapadi in Salem, eight people were killed, he said.

UNI