Over 380 defective boilers found in Gujarat inspections, Assembly told

More than 380 boilers were found to be defective during inspections carried out across major cities in Gujarat, as per the data tabled in the Gujarat Assembly session.

The disclosure comes months after a fatal boiler explosion at an industrial unit in Bharuch GIDC in November last year, which killed three workers and injured over 20 others.

According to data presented during a question-and-answer session, a total of 3,502 boilers were inspected in five key cities, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Gandhinagar, up to January 31, 2025. Of these, 384 were found to have defects.

In Ahmedabad, 1,067 boilers were inspected, with 105 found defective. Vadodara reported 61 defects out of 628 inspections, while Surat recorded the highest number of defects at 140 out of 1,035 boilers checked. In Rajkot, 50 of 536 boilers were found defective, and in Gandhinagar, 28 defects were identified among 263 inspections.

The government stated that all identified defects have since been rectified and the boilers are certified fit for operation.

Inspections in other districts also revealed safety issues. In Mehsana, 50 defects were found among 340 boilers inspected, while Banaskantha reported 17 defective units out of 99 inspections. Bhavnagar recorded 24 defects out of 178 inspections, whereas no defects were reported among 314 boilers inspected in Morbi.

Officials noted that five to six major boiler explosion incidents have occurred in the state over the past five years, underlining the need for stricter safety compliance and monitoring in industrial establishments.