Latest news with #UT)HumanRightsCommission
Hindustan Times
08-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Mohali oxygen plant blast: Forensic team visits site, bodies handed over to kin after autopsy
A day after an oxygen cylinder explosion at an industrial unit in Phase 9, Mohali, claimed two lives and left several injured, the post-mortem examinations of the deceased were conducted on Thursday, and the bodies were handed over to their families. The Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission has directed senior officials in Mohali to submit reports on the oxygen cylinder blast that claimed two lives and injured four others. (HT File) A forensic team collected samples from the site to determine the cause of the blast. Police said they are waiting for the expert findings before proceeding with further legal action. The company management has assured compensation to the families of the deceased. Akbar Ali, a housekeeper at the unit and one of the injured, said he had reached the factory around 8 am. He said his nephew, Asif, one of the deceased, had arrived around 8.30 am. The other deceased, Devinder, was loading cylinders onto a truck. Ali said the night shift workers had left about half an hour before, and if the blast had happened earlier, 25 people could have died. 'Asif had gone to the washroom and had just stepped 3 to 5 metres outside when the blast occurred. Devinder was loading cylinders. I was near the rear door. Asif was closest to the cylinder that exploded. The impact pushed me against the door and my hand got fractured. For a moment, nothing was visible. We were afraid to step in, thinking another cylinder might explode,' Ali said. He said that his nephew Asif had been living with him for the past two and a half years. 'He was like a son to me. I saw my child's body in the air, at least 30 feet high,' he added. Phase-11 SHO Aman Baidwan said that the forensic team has taken samples and the matter is under investigation. The Punjab State and Chandigarh Human Rights Commission, comprising chairperson justice Sant Parkash and member justice Gurbir Singh, has directed senior officials in Mohali to submit reports on the incident before November 13. Vivek Kapoor, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mohali, described the incident as unfortunate. He said, 'This company has been operating for many years and even contributed significantly during the COVID-19 period by ensuring oxygen supply. What matters is the safety and well-being of the workers.' He said that it is important for companies to ensure proper training of workers.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Punjab commission flags exorbitant deposit, lack of transparency at group home for disabled
1 2 Chandigarh: The Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission, in a letter to the Punjab governor and UT administrator, said the conditions of a Rs 20 lakh security deposit and legal waiver clause for admission to the Group Home for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in Sector 31 are exorbitant and coercive. These conditions potentially violate the rights of the applicants and deter genuine need-based applications, it chairperson Sant Prakash in the letter requested the governor to take "sympathetic and immediate consideration of issues involving the group home".PSHRC observed that despite a capacity of 80 residents and a public notice inviting applications, many eligible families remain excluded due to the high financial burden and insensitive approach of the issue has also drawn attention at the national level, with Manish Tewari, MP from Chandigarh, raising the matter in Parliament. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far He criticised the unaffordable deposit amount and the administration's inaction. Considering these developments, the commission issued directions to send a separate request letter to the governor and administrator of UT Chandigarh, reiterating the need for a sympathetic and inclusive approach to the group home's operational matter has been adjourned to May 12. It was brought to the commission's attention through an application dated April 15. The complainant presented the letter dated April 24, issued by the director, social welfare, women and child development, Chandigarh complainant also highlighted glaring deficiencies and misleading information in the administration's reports. The complainant claimed that only maintenance staff were appointed, with no professional staff such as social workers, counsellors, or vocational instructors. Public awareness efforts were limited to radio interviews, with no face-to-face outreach or community fee is more than double that of senior citizens' homes, with arbitrary and non-transparent charges. A pervasive lack of transparency in application processes, causing many families to abstain from applying, was also claimed by the complainant in his submission to the commission.
