A year after it was gutted, MAGIC lab remains shut

In its RTI reply, the lab mentioned installing additional fire extinguishers on the campus. “There may be more requirement of extinguishers and additionally, setting up of different types of fire extinguishers is needed. In other cases, new exhaust systems are being installed,” the reply stated. On the current status of the MAGIC (Modular, Agile, Intensified and Continuous) Process lab, inaugurated in February in 2016 at the Pilot Plant III on the NCL campus, the RTI reply also stated: “Post the fire accident, Indus MAGIC Lab has not been made operational. The unaffected equipment from neighbouring labs have been shifted to other locations and are being used.”

Soon after the incident, two separate inquiry committees — an internal committee comprising NCL officials and another constituted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) — had thoroughly investigated the matter. But neither of the committees could come up with any concrete reason for the fire. According to the CSIR committee, the estimated loss due to the fire at the lab was pegged at Rs 16.56 crore. The internal committee took into account the cost of the remaining undamaged equipment, chemicals and other accessories recovered from the site, then revised the figure to Rs 6.73 crore.

Both the investigating committees completed the inquiry and submitted their respective reports to the NCL and CSIR in July 2017. But the RTI reply suggested that neither of the reports were finalised, raising questions on claims of implementation of safety measures recommended by the reports. In August, the NCL had hired a Mumbai-based external fire audit firm to identify and address key safety issues in their laboratories that still didn’t have the equipment.

On details of the audit and specific recommendations to improve overall safety measures, the RTI response read: “All the recommendations were considered and are getting implemented in all sections of the laboratory. The frequency of the checks and other preventive measures have been intensified.”

As per procedure, the divisional safety committee members carry out audits in their respective divisions, and their report is sent to the NCL safety committee said. “The recommendations of the divisional safety audit are implemented,” the RTI response revealed.