Under fire: on Tamil Nadu and the fireworks industry blasts
An accident is, by definition, both unexpected and preventable. But the numerous fireworks industry blasts that dot the summer months with stunning regularity in the firecracker manufacturing belt of Tamil Nadu in Virudhunagar challenge this definition. A total of 26 people have died and 20 others injured in eight accidents that have occurred in the first six months of 2025. According to official data, 17 accidents were reported in fireworks units in the State in 2024 and claimed the lives of 52 people. Of these, 42 people died in 12 accidents in Virudhunagar, which has roughly 1,000 fireworks units and 3,000 cracker shops. In 2023, 79 workers were killed in 27 accidents in the State, including 28 workers in 15 accidents in Virudhunagar. In the latest episode, eight persons died and five others were injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Sattur, near Sivakasi this week. Preliminary reports said friction caused during the process of filling chemicals that are used to make special fireworks may have caused the explosion. Investigations are on to pinpoint the exact cause. But whatever the cause, there is unlikely to be any new learning from this kind of post mortem.
Temperatures in the rather dry, hot belt of Virudhunagar often soar unbearably during the day. It is also common knowledge that firecracker units store chemicals that are highly inflammable, and can ignite and burn easily when exposed to an ignition source such as a spark, flame, or high heat. And yet, unerringly, the summer months, usually, have unfortunate accidents resulting in the death or the disability of people who are already vulnerable, socially and economically. While the laxity of manufacturers is condemnable, there is also a big role for the state in regulating these fireworks units, since all of them require a licence from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization to function. The Explosives Rules, 2008, which govern fireworks units, specify that packages containing explosives shall not be allowed to remain in the sun or exposed to excessive heat, and all due precautions ought to be taken to prevent accidents by fire or explosion. Following the rules is essential to retaining the licence to operate and manufacture explosives. Clearly, here is a situation where the heft of the state can be utilised to ensure compliance, but a better way of handling it is to involve manufacturers in an effort to ensure there are no further accidents, no further lives lost as a result. Such cooperation has produced results in the past in curbing the employment of child labourers in the industry. It will now have to be leveraged to save precious lives. A preventable tragedy that repeats itself makes a farce of state regulation and enforcement.
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New Indian Express
30-07-2025
- New Indian Express
NGT seeks inspection records of all cracker units in Virudhunagar
CHENNAI: The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has come down heavily on the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and the Tamil Nadu government, directing them to submit detailed inspection records of all firecracker manufacturing units in Virudhunagar from the last five years. The directive comes amid a spate of fatal accidents at cracker units. The NGT bench termed the recurring deaths a result of 'systemic regulatory failure' and expressed concern over non-compliance with safety norms. The rising deaths year after year points to gaps in enforcement, the bench comprising judicial member Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member K Satyagopal observed, as PESO and state counsels pointed fingers at each other. The PESO counsel admitted to widespread violations, including illegal sub-licensing and the prohibited use of mobile phones inside factory premises - a clear violation of Rule 10(6) of the Explosives Rules, 2008, which bans ignition sources like mobile phones and radios within 15 metres of areas where explosives are stored or handled. So far, PESO has cancelled the licences of 10 units and suspended several others. However, the casualty data remains grim. In 2022, 18 people were killed in cracker unit accidents - 12 in PESO-licensed units and six in units licensed by the district magistrate. The toll rose to 39 in 2023, with 35 deaths reported from PESO units. This year alone, 43 deaths have already been recorded, 42 of them in PESO-supervised units.
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- The Hindu
Under fire: on Tamil Nadu and the fireworks industry blasts
s An accident is, by definition, both unexpected and preventable. But the numerous fireworks industry blasts that dot the summer months with stunning regularity in the firecracker manufacturing belt of Tamil Nadu in Virudhunagar challenge this definition. A total of 26 people have died and 20 others injured in eight accidents that have occurred in the first six months of 2025. According to official data, 17 accidents were reported in fireworks units in the State in 2024 and claimed the lives of 52 people. Of these, 42 people died in 12 accidents in Virudhunagar, which has roughly 1,000 fireworks units and 3,000 cracker shops. In 2023, 79 workers were killed in 27 accidents in the State, including 28 workers in 15 accidents in Virudhunagar. In the latest episode, eight persons died and five others were injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Sattur, near Sivakasi this week. Preliminary reports said friction caused during the process of filling chemicals that are used to make special fireworks may have caused the explosion. Investigations are on to pinpoint the exact cause. But whatever the cause, there is unlikely to be any new learning from this kind of post mortem. Temperatures in the rather dry, hot belt of Virudhunagar often soar unbearably during the day. It is also common knowledge that firecracker units store chemicals that are highly inflammable, and can ignite and burn easily when exposed to an ignition source such as a spark, flame, or high heat. And yet, unerringly, the summer months, usually, have unfortunate accidents resulting in the death or the disability of people who are already vulnerable, socially and economically. While the laxity of manufacturers is condemnable, there is also a big role for the state in regulating these fireworks units, since all of them require a licence from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization to function. The Explosives Rules, 2008, which govern fireworks units, specify that packages containing explosives shall not be allowed to remain in the sun or exposed to excessive heat, and all due precautions ought to be taken to prevent accidents by fire or explosion. Following the rules is essential to retaining the licence to operate and manufacture explosives. Clearly, here is a situation where the heft of the state can be utilised to ensure compliance, but a better way of handling it is to involve manufacturers in an effort to ensure there are no further accidents, no further lives lost as a result. Such cooperation has produced results in the past in curbing the employment of child labourers in the industry. It will now have to be leveraged to save precious lives. A preventable tragedy that repeats itself makes a farce of state regulation and enforcement.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
HC pulls up officials for lapses in preventing cracker unit accidents
Madurai: Madras high court has reprimanded officials of PESO, police, as well as industrial safety and health departments for their oversight in preventing frequent accidents in fireworks units, causing loss of workers' lives in Virudhunagar district. The court called for details of cases registered in the last five years while issuing a series of directions to officials to take steps to prevent such accidents. Justice B Pugalendhi said the repeated pattern of accidents — 131 deaths and 146 serious injuries between 2019 and 2023 in the region — suggests a chronic absence of inspection, enforcement, and accountability. "The regulatory bodies, despite knowing the hazardous nature of the work and workers' vulnerability, failed to discharge their constitutional obligation under Article 21 to protect the right to life of citizens working in high-risk industries. This lapse cannot be termed accidental; it is structural and ongoing," observed the judge. The judge noted that in the Achankulam fireworks accident case in Sivakasi, retired Justice K Kannan committee's report found subleasing of licensed premises, overcrowding, untrained workers, chemical mixing in open areas, and locked exits as major causes of the blast. Though a criminal case is registered for various offences whenever an accident occurs, investigations are conducted mechanically. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo "It appears that FIRs registered in 2019 and 2020 remain pending in 2024. There is no engagement of explosive experts, no forensic reports, and no meaningful determination of the cause," it said. Sections 9(1) and 9A of the Explosives Act mandate cause-based investigation and remedial recommendations, apart from the criminal investigation. However, these provisions are routinely overlooked, and neither the district collector nor the Controller of Explosives, PESO, have suggested any viable remedial measures. The judge asked the DGP to ensure that fire accidents involving explosives are investigated by personnel equipped with adequate technical knowledge, with due assistance from forensic experts. Under Rule 11 of the Explosives Rules, each factory is mandated to appoint a qualified foreman and a safety officer/supervisor (BSc Chemistry) in the ratio of 1:50 workers. However, these roles are often vacant or filled without proper qualification. Though the rules also mandate periodic safety audits, and adherence to quantitative and procedural restrictions, none of these safeguards were meaningfully implemented. The industrial safety and health department, which bears statutory responsibility to oversee factory safety under Factories Act and Tamil Nadu Factories Rules, is critically understaffed, the judge said. The judge directed the Director of Industrial Safety and Health to ensure strict enforcement of safety norms under various statutes, including compliance with licensing limits, mandatory appointment of safety personnel, periodic inspections, and safety training. According to rules, a district magistrate or district revenue officer is empowered to issue licenses when the total quantity of explosives, including raw materials, processed material, and finished goods, does not exceed 15kg. Quantities ranging from 15kg to 500 kg fall under the jurisdiction of the controller of explosives, PESO, and those above 500 kg under chief controller of explosives, PESO. However, it has come to light that DROs have issued licenses beyond their jurisdiction by permitting multiple sheds or exceeding the 15kg limit. Such licenses are patently invalid. The judge directed the chief controller of explosives, PESO, to take necessary steps to scrutinise licensing practices in Sivakasi and other firework clusters and take appropriate action wherever licenses are found to be issued in excess of the legal limits. The court said that in cases where it is established, upon inquiry that the accident occurred due to the employer's fault, including non-compliance with licensing conditions, safety protocols, or subleasing of premises, the licensing authority shall take appropriate action, including cancellation of licence. "The responsibility to regulate hazardous industries is statutory, not discretionary," observed Justice Pugalendhi.
