Tiruvallur ammonia gas leak: Who is sending factory workers back to Odisha?

“What happened to my elder sister?” This was 19-year-old Bharat Juanga’s first question when DT Next contacted him on the phone, to ask him about his return to Odisha, even as his sister Padmini, 21, one of the victims of last week's ammonia tragedy that claimed 15 lives, is still in intensive care at a Chennai hospital.

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When DT Next called him, Bharat was on the Bhubaneswar Express to Odisha, along with many other workers of the seafood unit that was struck by the gas leak to be sent home against their wishes.

“The police told us she was fine, but they wouldn't let us see her,” Bharat said. As the conversation ended, he circled back to the same question: “What happened to my sister? Please tell me.”

Nearly 1,500 km away, another worker from Odisha carried the same uncertainty. Sumant Juanga said his 21-year-old wife, Sima Juanga, was among those hospitalised. “They didn’t allow me to see her even once,” he said. According to Sumant, even Sima's father had travelled from Odisha after learning of his daughter's condition, but was unable to meet her.

The experiences of Bharat and Sumant point to a common concern among several migrant workers interviewed by DT Next in the days following the accident. Sixty-two workers from the seafood processing unit, all from Odisha, returned home state, while some of their close family members remained under treatment in hospitals across Chennai and Tiruvallur.