Last week’s fire at Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) that left 15 staffers injured exposed the lack of basic social infrastructure, such as a burn unit, in the industrial town, trade and industry representatives have said.

At a seminar organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) on Tuesday, participants expressed concern that the injured had to be rushed to Calcutta without administering primary treatment in Haldia.

They urged Haldia civic chief Shyamal Adak and local MP Dibyendu Adhikari to prod the state government into taking measures to set up a burn unit in the town. They pointed out that there are several factories dealing in petroleum products.

“There is an urgent need for a burn unit in Haldia. I am surprised there is no such unit here, particularly when the town has units dealing with petroleum products. The state government should initiate proper steps to set up a burn unit with utmost urgency,” MCCI president Vishal Jhajharia said at the seminar, titled MCCI Destination Haldia Forum, 2019.

The plant head of HPL, Ashok Kumar Ghosh, told The Telegraph over phone that the incident exposed the need for a burn unit.

“The injured had to be taken to Calcutta…. They had to travel three hours without even getting primary treatment. A major mishap could have happened due to the absence of the burn unit,” Ghosh, who could not attend the seminar on Tuesday, said.

Those injured in the HPL fire have been admitted to three private hospitals in Calcutta, and all are reported to be stable.

Industry captains have expressed concern. Ananta Charan Mishra, executive vice-president (operations) and plant head of MCPI in Haldia, said the fire at HPL proved a burn unit was the need of the hour in Haldia.

“The state should take proper steps to set up a burn unit in Haldia for the sake of thousands of employees,” Mishra said.

Adhikari, the local MP, could not promise an immediate solution but said he would send a proposal to the state to set up a burn unit in Haldia.

Adak, the municipality chairman, said they would urge local units to come forward and develop the burn unit in Haldia hospital with their corporate social responsibility funds.

HPL resumption

The HPL factory, shut after the fire on Friday, is expected to resume operations in two days, plant head Ghosh said after inspections on Tuesday.