Hyderabad: Owners of illegal chemical godowns are having a free run with government departments including PCB, department of factories, fire services and others turning a blind eye to their activities.

Most illegal godowns are located at Jeedimetla, Sanatnagar, Balanagar, Katedan and Cherlapalli, which are being operated without valid licences and display boards as is mandatory.

Recently, an illegal chemical godown at Jeedimetla was completely gutted after the chemicals stored there reacted. Jeedimetla fire station officer V. Subhash Reddy said that the illegal godown had 70 drums of solvents and other chemicals like toulene and dichloromethane etc.

Another illegal godown in the Nacharam Industrial Area was gutted in May. As many as 40 barrels of Benzene Chloride, Para Benzene Hydroxide, Methanol, Solvent and other chemicals were gutted after a explosion in a chemical reactor in the godown-cum-workplace of Salicylate & Chemicals, a nail polish remover manufacturing company. Investigating officials found later that the company’s management had not renewed the licence.

Last year, a joint operation by the drug controller unit and narcotics officials had seized a large number of banned drugs from an illegal godown from Jeedimetla.

Mr N. Ravinder, a senior scientist at the Pollution Control Board, said chemical godowns did not fall under their jurisdiction. “We give approvals to factories, all of which should display boards,” he said.

As per the Consent for Establishment, Consent for Operation, Shops and Establishments Act and other rules, factories or godowns have to display at least 6 feet by 4 feet boards.

Fire Services DG Rajiv Rathan said fire stations had taken up mass drills under their jurisdiction. “They visit establishments, and if violations are found at any commercial or residential establishment, we serve notices to the respondents for resolving the errors,” he said.

About handling fires at chemical godowns, he said, “We have started training sessions for our firemen. We are searching for chemical combinations and we will come up with a solution for quickly controlling fires at chemical godowns.”