Six workers killed in explosion at TN fireworks unit
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu), Jan 4: Six workers were killed and another was injured following an explosion at a firecrackers manufacturing unit near here on Saturday, an official said.
The blast occurred in the morning when the workers were engaged in mixing chemical-raw materials, as part of the manufacturing process, leading to the deaths of 6 men and 4 rooms in the factory premises were flattened in the impact.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel immediately arrived at the spot and the injured worker, Mohammed Sudeen, was rushed to a government facility in nearby Madurai.
A police official here said two persons, a supervisor and a foreman, have been arrested in connection with the explosion adding further probe into the incident was on.
While Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured person, the principal opposition party, AIADMK, slammed the government for 'not conducting' safety audits.
The deceased were identified as S Sivakumar (56), S Meenakshi Sundaram (46), R Nagaraj (37) and G Velmurugan, S Kamaraj and R Kannan, all the three were aged 54.
Chief Minister Stalin, expressing shock and grief over the deaths, said that he has directed officials to ensure special care for the injured worker at the Madurai government hospital.
Conveying his condolences to the bereaved families, he said he has ordered authorities to release financial assistance to the affected families and the injured worker from the CM's Public Relief Fund.
Party leaders condoled the deaths. AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the state government for its 'callousness' and alleged that it did not carry out safety audits.
CPI(M)'s 24th Tamil Nadu State Conference urged the state government and the fireworks company to provide Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively, as compensation, to the families of dead workers.
Fireworks units not properly following the safety norms was the reason behind the continuing accidents, the Marxist party alleged.
It urged the state and central government authorities to ensure compliance of safety regulations by firecrackers manufacturing units.
BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai said his party had months ago demanded inspections in fireworks units to ensure safety for workers. "The DMK government does not seem to have taken any action in this regard," he alleged.
"We urge the DMK regime to conduct inspections to ensure safety for workers without any further delay," he added.
The CPI(M)'s state meeting from January 3 to 5, 2025 is being held at Villupuram.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
