Explosives Act being violated with impunity in region

Provisions of the Explosives Act, 1884, are violated with impunity, both by big and small players in the region.

As no combing operation or intensive search has been conducted to check illegal manufacturing, storage and transportation of explosive materials, including firecrackers, the number of such piles of gunpowder lying around people is beyond comprehension.

While illegal activities of big cracker traders and stockists are normally under scanner of the administration, unauthorised ‘manufacturers’ and celebratory firework organisers and ‘retailers’ usually remain unnoticed till their greed for money takes a toll on lives and properties of innocent residents of the region.

Besides preparing crude crackers, the illegal manufacturers, mostly migrants from UP and Bihar, store explosives purchased from wholesalers on their illegal premises for making a fast buck by selling it in retail on occasion of festivals and other celebrations.

The Indira Colony incident in which about 12 persons, including children, were injured in an explosion of unauthorised stock of fireworks and raw material for preparing crackers, had substantiated the observations made by The Tribune.

The police too have taken a serious notice of the hazardous trend of unauthorised storage of explosives as ADCP Sumeer Verma announced that the probe initiated into the Indira Colony blast would be taken to a conclusive end.

Observations have revealed that several groups of illegal manufacturers had been violating provisions of the Explosives Act by manufacturing, storing and transporting crackers from discrete places in the city and areas under the jurisdiction of Ludhiana and Malerkotla districts.

The Malerkotla police too had seized a rich haul of finished products, raw material of various grades and paraphernalia used in illegal manufacturing of fireworks by arresting about 10 persons involved in separate cases ahead of Diwali.

The suspects included three brothers from UP namely Suhel, Sabar and Sawan, and Tasleem Khan of Adampur and Shehnawaj of Chitawi in UP. Probe further revealed that unauthorised manufacturers and sellers of crackers had been conducting illegal businesses under the guise of other activities as in the Indira Colony Blast case, the suspect, Usman Khan, was known as a dealer of condiments and spices.

Though illegal activities are reported to be continued during the whole year, on occasions such as Dasehra, Gurpurb and wedding events, they had a brisk business.

A new trend of preparing high-power crackers has been observed during the past two decades when groups organising celebratory fireworks use potassium chlorate and sulfur powder for the same.

Though it is a major public safety issue leading to accidents, injuries and occasional fatalities too, the administration is yet to take notice of the dangerous and unregulated practice. Potassium chlorate and sulfur powder can be stored separately with relatively safety.