CHENNAI: Days after a fire broke out at the Tech Mahindra warehouse facility inside the ELCOT SEZ in Sholinganallur, the Voice of IT Professionals (VOIP) has demanded a wider safety audit across Chennai’s IT corridor, alleging lapses in inspection, hazardous waste management and emergency preparedness inside the campus.
In a statement, the IT employees’ body called for an independent fire safety audit of IT campuses, warehouses and peripheral structures across the OMR corridor, along with mandatory disclosure of fire safety clearances, regular evacuation drills and public reporting of all fire incidents inside IT SEZs.
The organisation said that the May 15 fire should not be treated as an isolated incident. “This is not just another fire accident,” VOIP joint secretary Rajan said.
The organisation alleged that accumulated dump material and e-waste inside the campus may not have been cleared properly and said the latest incident raised concerns over hazard monitoring and emergency preparedness within the SEZ. The organisation said it plans to file RTI applications seeking details of inspections conducted by ELCOT officials, safety instructions issued to companies and follow-up action taken on compliance enforcement.
“Safety mechanisms inside IT campuses often become active only after major incidents, with little sustained follow-up afterward. Rather than reacting after every incident, our stance is to be proactive,” Rajan added.
The organisation also criticised Sholinganallur MLA ECR P Saravanan for circulating videos of the fire with background music on social media, calling it insensitive during an emergency involving thousands of employees, though it said his visit to the site itself was appreciated.