(Seychelles News Agency) - Ninety-seven percent of businesses at Seychelles' Providence Industrial Estate that were affected by the December 7, 2023, explosion at the Civil Construction Company Limited (CCCL), are now operational.

A total of 642 businesses were greatly affected the enormous blast caused by explosives stored by the company, which caused extensive damage to buildings located in and around the area.

The lease manager at the Industrial Estates Authority (IEA), Kimberly Uranie, told reporters on Tuesday, "The three percent that are yet to operate are mainly those businesses that were based on properties that were classed as severely damaged, which necessitated demolition."  

The press conference was held to give the media an update on the situation on the affected areas and the chief executive of the IEA, Thelma Estico, shared that they have been keeping abreast of the progress being made by businesses to get back on their feet.

"These visits have helped us to see the difficulties begin faced by these businesses, so that the government can see what help they can bring to them," said Estico.

According to IEA, there were 17 businesses that were deemed unsafe for operations and Estico said, "We are happy to state that to date 12 of these businesses are back in operations, and 1 that was completely demolished is under reconstruction and four others are completing their necessary formalities for reparation."

The Authority also shared that as at September 5, SCR180,244,788.03 million ($12.8 million) has been paid by insurance companies to the affected businesses.  

Estico said that the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry, Devika Vidot, met with the different insurance service providers to discuss the insurance claims. The aim was to seek ways forward in addressing complaints received from the businesses, and this is based on the information IEA collected during the walk-about.

In addition, a special support relief scheme, for the sum of SCR100,000 ($7,000) to assist these businesses, where out of nine applications received, seven of them have already received assistance, one is in process, while the other is being considered in another scheme that the ministry will announce soon.

One of the issues that came up after the explosion, was the number of people, mostly foreign workers, that were residing in the area, which is designated as an industrial zone, rather than a residential one.

Here, Estico confirmed that over 500 people are living in the zone, most of them foreign workers.

"Taking into account the scarcity of land, there is not much that the authority will be able to do to stop accommodating workers in the zone. However, recommendations were made for stricter measures to be adhered to in the zone, where workers' accommodation is concerned. The same was forwarded to Cabinet as well and the Ministry is drafting a policy relating to workers' accommodation in the Industrial Zone," added Estico.

The Authority also announced that it will soon be conducting a risk assessment in the zone that will help to assess the risks associated with businesses currently operating in the zone. This will ensure that none of them pose a danger to the area and prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.