MyVoice: Views of our readers 10th June 2026

VSP blast is an eye-opener

It is very shocking that a ghastly blast claimed the lives of eight persons and left six others severely injured at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) on Monday evening. The spilling of molten steel which was about 1600 degree Celsius caused the mishap. Similar tragic incidents have happened at VSP earlier also. Ironically, VSP is run by its corporate entity RINL. Allegedly the plant is facing safety lapses owing to funds crunch. It is reported that the current blast was caused due to various factors-skilled workers were replaced by unskilled workers, absence of monitoring, posting outsourcing employees at focal points, not replacing obsolete machinery, and use of substandard material. Thus, the authorities should not only console families of the victims but also rectify the existing flaws and address the issues raised by unions.

Pratapa Reddy Yaramala, Tiruvuru (AP)

Mandate regular audit of factories

I am deeply saddened by the loss of eight workers and seven sustaining serious injuries in Monday’s explosion at the Vizag Steel Plant. The tragedy raises serious questions about the lack of safety audits and blatant non-compliance with the Factories Act, 1948, and industrial safety rules. Industrial accidents have become quite common in Andhra Pradesh, including the Reliance Gas pipeline bursts, blasts in firecracker manufacturing units. A sad irony is that the authorities wash their hands off the incident, announce compensation and order probes that are subject to inordinate delays. The government must mandate regular audits and monthly inspections of boilers, machinery and equipment.

Ganti Venkata Sudhir, Secunderabad

Cut airport levies

This is further to your June 8 editorial. India’s aviation boom now faces a fuel price squeeze that tests its newfound scale. Carriers lifted us to the third largest market with 412 million passengers, yet turbine fuel costs up 70 per cent since last year forcing hard choices. Hiking fares risks pricing out the very middle-class flyers who built this growth, while absorbing costs invites losses and bankruptcies. Low-cost carriers drive 69 per cent of traffic, but thin margins leave little buffer. The path forward must be pragmatic. Hedge fuel smartly, fast track sustainable aviation fuel blending, and cut airport levies to share the load. Protect connectivity to tier two and three cities, because mobility is an economic opportunity. Growth without affordability will clip its own wings.

Babu Crishna, Bengaluru-560051

Aviation sector stares at bankruptcy

Apropos of ‘aviation sector makes cautious moves as fuel prices spiral’ (THI June 9). A choked Strait of Hormuz has had wide-ranging fallout. One of them is spiralling turbine fuel prices in India and throwing its aviation sector into disarray. Hiking airline ticket prices is inevitable to rescue the sector from bankruptcy. But how far can Indian fliers’ loyalty be tested? Driven to the wall by spiralling LPG and vehicular fuel prices, the common man might be forced to fall back on other modes of transport like the railways and interstate buses to commute to closer destinations. The aviation sector, called to undertake a tightrope walk, needs governmental sympathy and support. The country’s airline companies will inevitably have to choose between bankruptcy and absorbable losses.

Dr George Jacob, Kochi

Take IATA remarks seriously

With reference to the editorial “Aviation sector makes cautious moves as fuel prices spiral, (THI, June 9). The IATA observation that airlines unable to raise fares risk bankruptcy deserves to be taken seriously and not dismiss it as corporate lobbying. Low-cost carriers currently handle 65 to 69 per cent of India’s total aviation capacity. If even two or three of them face serious financial stress simultaneously, the connectivity gains of the past decade could unravel rapidly. The 300 million domestic flyers projected by 2030 assume a functioning, competitive airline market. That assumption needs active policy support, not passive optimism. A structured fuel cost stabilisation mechanism, like what several Southeast Asian governments offer their carriers, would protect both the airlines and the travelling public from the worst volatility without permanently distorting market pricing.

Abbharna Barathi, Chennai-23