VADODARA, Dec 6: Except for one, the condition of all 17 workers who survived the Transpek sulphur dioxide plant blast was reported to have improved on Sunday. Officials at SSG Hospital told Express Newsline that the workers now had minor complaints related to the lungs, abdomen or eye. All of them were likely to be discharged within a day or two, they added.
One worker, Natubhai, however, is still in the intensive care unit, sources said, with abdominal and bronchial ailments. According to doctors, chances were that he would be shifted back to the general ward tonight.
Meanwhile, Transpek managing director Atul Patel and another representative C A Mehta clarified that none of the workers had lost their vision, though some of them had initially complained of minor eye-ailments. “Even that has been treated and completely cured”, they told Express Newsline.
According to official information, a team of some senior officials, including the chief inspector of factories, also visited SSG Hospital and the unit on Saturday to take stock of various aspects of the tragedy.
In another development, workers of the Vadodara Kamdar Union and the Gujarat General Kamdar Panchayat condemned the December 2 accident that claimed the lives of four workers and injured 18 more. They have demanded an overall survey of all the chemical factories in and around Vadodara.
The Kamdar Panchayat said they would hold a State-level workers’ meeting in late December.