Three workers, trapped by a fire inside a factory near Barnala city, were charred to death on Tuesday. Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has sought a detailed report from the Barnala Deputy Commissioner into the incident of fire in an industrial godown.
At the same time, the Chief Minister has also announced ex-gratia grant of Rs one lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased, identified as Jagjeet Singh (24) of Gill Kothe village, Sikander Singh (25) and Sadhu Singh (27) both of Cheema village.
The fire broke out in the morning and fire-fighters struggled for nearly six hours to bring it under control, said the Senior Superintendent of Police Harjit Singh, adding that the cause of the fire is being investigated. Mattress and sofa foam were manufactured at the unit at Ugoke village in Tapa sub-division, about 15 km from Barnala.
Expressing anguish over the mishap, Capt Amarinder has extended his sympathies to the families of the victims.
In his directive to the Deputy Commissioner, Capt Amarinder has asked him to thoroughly probe the incident.
He also asked to ascertain the cause of the fire, and to suggest remedial measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Acting swiftly on the directives of the Chief Minister, the Deputy Commissioner has deputed Tapa Sub-Divisional Magistrate to submit the detailed report in the matter at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Dharam Pal Gupta, along with SSP and SDM, visited the site and met the victims’ families.
An official spokesperson later said that the situation was now under control and fire had been completely extinguished.