No leak alarms at Saraca Labs, Telangana PCB orders closure after two deaths | Hyderabad News

No leak alarms at Saraca Labs, Telangana PCB orders closure after two deaths

Hyderabad: Saraca Laboratories lacked chloroform leak-detection alarm sensors and equipment to arrest vapour emissions, the Telangana Pollution Control Board found while ordering closure of its Sangareddy unit after a leak killed two people, identified in reports as workers from Andhra Pradesh.The Oct 23, 2026, order directed the bulk-drug and intermediates manufacturer at Gaddapotharam village, Jinnaram mandal, to stop industrial activities immediately. TGPCB also ordered power disconnection, citing safety failures, consent violations and risks to public health and the environment.Leak during layer separationAccording to the board’s order, chloroform vapours escaped around 11.30 pm on Oct 22 in Production Block No. 2 during layer separation from a first-floor reactor to a ground receiver.General manager Madhu and deputy general manager Yogeshwar Rao told inspectors that vapours rapidly accumulated and spread. Around 1,750 litres of chloroform separation layer were reportedly in the reactor; the order does not establish how much leaked.Two people became unconscious and were declared dead at Narayana Hospital. Patancheru DSP Prabhakar informed the TGPCB’s RC Puram office.Police identified the deceased as Sudarshan Rao, 27, and Balaji, 44, both from Andhra Pradesh. Police have been investigating the cause and the safety arrangements.Broken vent, missing equipmentInspectors found the scrubber’s HDPE vent line and valve broken and fallen, spillages near the duct and a lingering chloroform smell. VOC readings reached 20 ppm at the incident point and 0.1 ppm outside the block. These were not identified as chloroform-specific concentrations.Besides missing leak alarms, the unit lacked a sub-cooler condenser followed by an activated charcoal bed, despite having a double-stage scrubber.TGPCB ordered closure without a hearing. Previously, the unit’s consent for operation (CFO) had been auto-renewed in Mar 2026 until Mar 31, 2031.Previous directionsThe order records complaint-related and non-compliance directions between 2020 and Aug 2026. It also cites requests to the collector for an inquiry into buffalo deaths in previous incidents to assess compensation payable by industries.Closure compliance was sought within 24 hours and power-disconnection compliance within 48 hours. No implementation report accompanies the orders. Continued operation, including through generators, would attract prosecution.Wastewater and debris disposal directions refer to a “fire accident”, although the incident narrative establishes only a leak.Police said six additional workers became seriously ill, and the Telangana Human Rights Commission sought the collector’s report by Nov 26.