Accidents waiting to happen here

Cracker unit blast brings to light discrepancies in the system. Each workshop engages five to 15 workers on daily basis and the proprietors of many units are unaware of the safety measures to be taken at the workplace.

The unprecedented explosion that took place in a firecrackers workshop at Vakatippa village of Uppada Kothapalli on Monday that claimed 18 lives has brought into light many interesting issues pertaining to the making and marketing of firecrackers.

In East Godavari district alone, there are 57 manufacturing units engaged into the make and sale of firecrackers round the year. According to a rough estimate, each unit makes crackers weighing about 300kg-500kg every day and there is no dearth of demand irrespective of the season. Interestingly, the licence permits the making of only 15 kg of crackers a day.

“The Revenue Divisional Officer concerned has to renew the licence every year, while the officials of the police and fire services and the explosives department have to conduct periodic inspections to ensure that cracker units are adhering to the prescribed norms. But the reality is different, and there is no scanner on the workshops,” admits B. Yadagiri, District Revenue Officer.

Each workshop engages five to 15 workers on daily basis and the proprietors of many units are unaware of the safety measures to be taken at the workplace. They prefer to engage women in the job, as it requires attentiveness. A couple of traders, who spoke in detail about their business but did not want to be named, said that they hardly saw any inspection in their units but the representatives of the departments concerned visit the units without fail during the Diwali time to collect the

‘mamool.’

“There is no transparency in licensing and renewal procedures. There is none to check the industrial safety and the prices of the end products,” observes Y.D. Rama Rao, vice-president of the Lok Satta Party’s State unit.

Expressing concern over the excessive use of firecrackers, writer Vadrevu Veeralakshmi Devi wondered why the crackers to be fired for every occasion. “There seems to be a sudden inflow of money into the market, and bursting of crackers could be one outlet to spend for some sections. Of late, crackers are being used even at the small functions, which is quite an unhealthy trend,” she pointed out.