India, March 13 -- Factories operating in the Ambernath industrial belt of Maharashtra's Thane district have been directed to submit fire and safety audit reports within eight days following a major fire at a chemical unit earlier this week, officials said on Friday.

The directive was issued by Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant after a massive blaze broke out at Shree Ganesh Chemical Company located in the Anandnagar Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area on Monday.

Samant visited the accident site on Wednesday and reviewed the safety measures in place at industrial units in the region. During the inspection, he instructed officials to ensure that factories under their jurisdiction strictly comply with fire...