Sharad Pawar Visits Serum Institute In Pune, Takes Stock After Fire Damage

Sharad Pawar visited the affected building around noon and took stock of the situation.

Pune:

NCP chief Sharad Pawar today visited the city-based Serum Institute of India (SII), where a major fire had broken out two days ago, killing five persons.

Sharad Pawar visited the affected building around noon and took stock of the situation. Serum Institute’s CEO, Adar Poonwalla, accompanied Mr Pawar.

In a tweet, Mr Pawar said, “Visited the Serum Institute in Pune along with @adarpoonawalla and reviewed the present situation there, after the unfortunate fire incident.”

Visited the Serum Institute in Pune along with @adarpoonawalla and reviewed the present situation there, after the unfortunate fire incident. pic.twitter.com/6X2Z6pqYYw

— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) January 23, 2021

Five men died in the fire that broke out in a five-storey building in the Serum Institute’s Manjari premises on Thursday.

The Manjari facility is where Covishield, the SII vaccine against COVID-19, which is being used in the nationwide inoculation drive against the infection, is made. The building where fire broke out is one km from the Covishield vaccine manufacturing unit.

On Friday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had visited the SII to inspect the fire site.

The SII on Friday said it has suffered losses to the tune of over Rs 1,000 crore due to the devastating fire.

Uddhav Thackeray had said that a probe into the incident was on and whether the fire was an accident or sabotage will be known after it.

Sharad Pawar had said in Kolhapur that the fire was an “accident” and that there was “absolutely no doubt about the integrity of scientists” working with the Pune-based vaccine major.

Police and other agencies are investigating the incident.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)