India, July 30 -- The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Western Zone Bench, has directed the Pune District collector to disburse nearly Rs.2.70 crore in compensation from State funds to the legal heirs of 14 workers killed in the Pimpri-Chinchwad candle unit fire in December 2023. The amount must be paid within two months of the order being uploaded and later recovered from the project proponent, M/S Shivraj Enterprises.

The order, uploaded on July 29, was passed by a Bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh, Judicial Member, and Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Expert Member, during a hearing on July 27. The proceedings were initiated suo motu based on a December 9, 2023 news report titled "Pune: 6 dead in fire at candle making unit."

The fire, which cla...