This is the question uppermost in the minds of not only the KMML workers but also the people at large. So strong is the suspicion that it was a clear attempt to ensure the closure of the KMML that even the State Labour Minister Shibu Baby John voiced his suspicion that a conspiracy could be behind the gas leak.

Various political parties and the workers of the KMML share the Minister’s suspicion about the conspiracy angle. Leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan, and Kerala Congress (M) leader and government chief whip, P. C. George, among others, have demanded that, if necessary, the incident should be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The parties and the company’s employees hint at a conspiracy by a private business unit in the state. The crux of their argument is that if the KMML closes down, the private firm, which has set its sights on tapping rare earth and minerals available in the area, would be the beneficiary. It would also end the monopoly of the PSU over the rare earth and minerals.

What has lent credence to the conspiracy angle was the strange presence of a few ambulances ‘at the ready’ outside the school whose students were hospitalized following the gas leak. Interestingly, nobody living in the immediate vicinity of the plant had been affected by the gas leak while children of the school which was several kilometers away from the KMML had to be hospitalized!

Leaders of the trade unions operating in the company have rejected the finding of the probe conducted by a special investigation team headed by additional director general of police, A. Hemachandran, that there was no sabotage. It is this conclusion which has raised the suspicions of the TU leaders and prompted them to demand an ‘impartial’ investigation.

Meanwhile, the Police have registered a case against officials of the KMML on the basis of the report submitted by the ADGP Hemachandran. The case has been registered for “criminal negligence in handling the machinery at the factory.”

The report of the ADGP, which contains testimonies of as many as 25 witnesses, has found serious lapses in the operation and maintenance of the machinery at the factory, which handles toxic substances.

The team found that there was no foolproof system for monitoring the level of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and chlorine generated during the plant operations. The investigations also revealed that continuous monitoring and recording of the emissions, which was mandatory, had not been done by the company.

The report had also found that the claim of the KMML management that there was no gas leak on the day after the incident, was wrong. The team found that the gas had leaked on two days. What gave the management’s game away was the entry in the KMML log book itself of the gas leak incident on the second day! Incidentally, ADGP Hemachandran had claimed after a visit to the plant that the team obtained evidence of gas leak at plant D 203 on the first day and another leak at the plant D 201 on the following day. (IPA)