Chennai: The Tamil Nadu police and the fire department of the state will be conducting inspection at all the firecracker units of Virudhunagar, Pudukottai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tirunelveli districts of the state to ensure that the units are not functioning after 9 a.m.
The fire department had already issued an advisory that the fire units must not function after 9 a.m. in the morning and later commence work only after 4 p.m. when there is a respite in the heat. The move is to prevent any explosion due to excessive heat during the summer period.
The district police superintendents and the head of the fire and rescue units of the respective districts will be coordinating the inspection being conducted at all the units.
The government's move comes after 11 people were killed in an explosion at a firecracker unit in Kancheepuram on Wednesday. While the workers were drying the raw materials required for making crackers, there was a sudden explosion due to the combustion. The fire tenders were rushed into service. All the injured were rushed to the government hospital for treatment. The bodies of the deceased were recovered and an autopsy was conducted. Later, the bodies were handed over to the families of the deceased.
The fire and rescue department officials said that the explosion took place during the afternoon and this was a total violation of the directives of the government. The owner of the factory Narendran was arrested. Further investigations are on.
The hub of the firecracker industry of the country is Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district which alone accounts for an annual turnover of Rs 6,000 crore. While all the other districts of Tamil Nadu may have a business of around Rs 1,500 crore per annum, the total turnover from the industry in the state is nearly Rs 7,500 crore and employs a large number of workers. In most occasions, the workers fail to get basic rights.