Chandigarh, June, 12
Surinder Singh was lucky enough to survive the first mishap at the Ranbaxy Pharmaceutical unit in SAS Nagar seven years ago even though his entire face and arms were burnt. However, this time around, his condition is serious as he is battling for life at the critical care unit of Fortis Hospital, along with three other colleagues.
Sitting outside the critical care unit at the hospital, his 28-year-old wife, Harjeet Kaur, rues the day her husband changed his mind about quitting his job. “I shudder to think what God has in store for us, as this time my husband’s condition is very critical,” says a weeping Harjeet.
While the four critically injured victims admitted to the PGI last night were shifted to Fortis Hospital, in the wee hours of the morning, 15 others, who have received minor injuries are also being treated there. Three others with minor injuries are receiving treatment at the civil hospital, Mohali.
For Harjeet Kaur, it is like a flashback of the agony and trauma she underwent at the time of the last mishap when her husband remained hospitalised for six months. It was after one year that Surinder Singh could rejoin duty, after undergoing treatment at City Hospital in Sector 34 after the 1996 mishap.
Expressing concern over the safety aspect at the Ranbaxy unit, Surinder Singh’s younger brothers, Gurdeep and Lakhwinder, say apart from a similar blast in 1996, there have been a number of small incidents at the unit. They feel the factory must take adequate steps to ensure such incidents do not recur.
“Seeing the risk factor, he had thought of quitting his job, but with jobs being scarce he was left with no option but to continue,” says Harjeet Kaur. Leaving her two sons, Manpreet (7) and Pankaj (2), in the care of her neighbours since last night, she kept requesting the doctors to allow her to at least have a glimpse of her husband. She was granted permission only in the afternoon after the Chief Minister’s visit.
On the other hand 25-year-old Jagvinder Singh, who joined as a helper at the unit just a day before the blast, has been more fortunate, as he has virtually escaped unhurt. “Though I have worked with another Ranbaxy unit earlier, I had got a job as a helper in this factory only a day prior to the mishap,” he said. Even though he received injuries on his face and legs from shattered glass from the windowpanes, he has no intentions of quitting his job.
Knowing very well that this time Surinder Singh’s condition is much more critical, the entire family is hoping and praying that luck is on his side for the second time again.
