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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
5 buried alive, 34 hurt as 2-storey firecracker factory collapses in blast in Muktsar: Police
Five workers were buried alive and 34 others injured as a two-storey firecracker factory building collapsed in a powerful blast at Singhewala village in Punjab's Muktsar district on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, police said, adding the factory owner has been arrested. Muktsar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abhijeet Kaplish said seriously injured persons were admitted to AIIMS, Bathinda, while others were being treated at the Civil Hospital under the Punjab government's Farishtey scheme. 'The firecracker unit was operating without permission required under the Explosives Rules, 2008. As of now, our top priority is treatment and taking care of the injured persons. A detailed inquiry is underway, and strictest action will be taken against those found guilty,' the DC said. The owner had reportedly submitted a request before the DC's office for necessary approval, but the file was yet to be processed. Lambi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jaspal Singh said the explosion took place between 12 midnight and 1 am. 'We responded swiftly and recovered five bodies from the debris. The rescue operation was over by the afternoon,' the DSP told The Indian Express. 'At least 34 people were injured and admitted to various hospitals, including the Civil Hospital in Badal and AIIMS, Bathinda. As per reports, all are stable,' the DSP said. According to reports, 28 patients were still undergoing treatment at various hospitals, while six were sent home after first aid. Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Akhil Chaudhary said, 'The preliminary investigation finds manufacturing and packaging of firecrackers were being carried out on the same premises. Moreover, several workers were living on the factory premises. A few workers were doing packaging work while others were sleeping when the blast took place, and the building collapsed.' 'It seems the blast was caused by material used in the manufacturing of firecrackers, though the exact cause can be ascertained after investigations and forensic examinations. Our forensic team is investigating the spot to determine what triggered the blast,' the SSP said. After the preliminary investigation, Muktsar police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against factory owner Tarsem Singh and his son Navraj Singh. The factory owner was arrested, police said. Police said the accused were booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt using dangerous means) and 3(5) (group liability in crimes committed with shared intent) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), section 98 of the Explosives Act, 1884, which empowers the central government to prohibit dangerous explosive activities, and section 92 of the Factories Act, 1948, which deals with penalties for violation of safety and regulatory norms. The father-son duo was running the factory, while papers submitted at the DC office, seeking a licence, were in the name of Navraj, police sources said. Police said that they were trying to establish the identity of the deceased persons. Coworkers who can help identify the deceased are hospitalised, so it may take some time, they said. The contractor, who would bring workers from Uttar Pradesh, was yet to arrive, which also delayed the identification process, police said. Meanwhile, Punjab Cabinet Minister and Lambi MLA Gurmeet Singh Khuddian visited the injured persons at AIIMS, Bathinda. He inquired about their condition and assured them the Punjab government would bear the entire cost of their treatment. Khuddian also visited the blast site in Singhewala village. The minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased persons on behalf of the Punjab government, a government statement said. The minister said, 'The government stands with the affected families and will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for them. Those liable will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest legal action will be taken against them.' Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also met injured workers at AIIMS, termed the incident 'a failure of governance.' Alleging that the illegal factory was running under political patronage, Sukhbir said, 'There were no fire safety measures at the factory where even minor children were employed. I met a few of them. Shockingly, the contractor disappeared after the blast, and the factory owner was of no help to the trapped workers.' Demanding strict action against the accused, Badal said, 'If the government fails to act firmly, the SAD will launch an agitation at the site.' Badal said such tragedies must not repeat in the future. 'We demand immediate compensation for the deceased persons' families and a high-level inquiry into how such a dangerous operation continued unchecked,' the SAD chief said. He urged the state government to ensure accountability and stricter enforcement of industrial safety norms across Punjab
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
AAP, Congress accuse BJP govt. of reneging on key electoral promises after 100 days of staying in power
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi of 'backtracking' on key poll promises like ₹2,500 monthly support for women, permanent jobs for bus marshals, and rolling back private school fee hikes, in its first 100 days in power. 'All they have done is dismantle AAP's welfare schemes,' AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, citing the alleged halting of the Farishtey scheme under which accident victims were treated free of cost at private hospitals, and the closure of Mohalla Clinics. 'They promised free LPG cylinders during Holi and Deepavali. Holi is over, and not one free cylinder has been distributed. Instead of lowering prices to ₹500 as promised, they have hiked them by ₹50,' he said. In a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Mr. Bharadwaj said AAP MLAs had compiled a '100-day report card' after speaking with Delhi residents. 'The public is suffering. Power cuts are frequent, electricity prices have surged, school fees are rising arbitrarily, and water supply is deteriorating,' he said. Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav echoed the criticism, and said, 'A green and healthy Delhi under Sheila Dikshit was made sick in AAP's first term, sent to the ICU in the second, and now the BJP has put it on a ventilator within 100 days.' In response, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said, 'The previous AAP government announced a women pension scheme while presenting the 2024-25 budget in Delhi, but never implemented it.'
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Muktsar blast: Firecracker factory was operating without permission, says DC; owner arrested
The firecracker factory in Punjab's Muktsar, where a blast killed five workers and injured 34 others in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, was allegedly operating without permission from the district authorities. Following the incident, the owner of the factory has been arrested, the police said. The two-storey building, which housed the factory in Singhewala village, also collapsed in the blast. 'No permission was granted to the factory under the required Explosives Rules, 2008,' said Abhijeet Kaplish, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Muktsar. The owner had reportedly submitted a request before the deputy commissioner's office for necessary approval, but the file was yet to be processed. 'The district administration's top priority remains the care and treatment of the injured. A detailed inquiry is underway, and the strictest action will be taken against those found responsible,' the DC said. He added that several of the seriously injured have been shifted to AIIMS Bathinda, while others are being treated at the Civil Hospital in Badal village under the Punjab Government's Farishtey scheme. Following preliminary investigation, the Muktsar police arrested the owner Tarsem Singh and lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against him and his son Navraj Singh. The two allegedly ran the factory together. Sources revealed that all the paperwork seeking licence for the unit was in the name of Navraj. They have been booked under stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt using dangerous means), and 3(5) (group liability in crimes committed with shared intent). Additionally, the FIR includes charges under section 98 of the Explosives Act, 1884, which empowers the central government to prohibit dangerous explosive activities, and section 92 of the Factories Act, 1948, which deals with penalties for violation of safety and regulatory norms. The police said they are yet to identify the deceased as several of their coworkers, who could have helped in identifying them, have also been hospitalised. The contractor who brought the workers from Uttar Pradesh is yet to arrive, which has also delayed the identification process. Akhil Chaudhary, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Muktsar, said, 'Our forensic team is investigating to determine the reason behind this incident.' Punjab Cabinet Minister and Lambi MLA Gurmeet Singh Khuddian visited the victims who are under treatment at AIIMS, Bathinda. He inquired about their condition and assured them that the entire cost of their treatment will be borne by the Punjab Government. He stated the government stands with the affected families and will leave no stone unturned in ensuring justice to them. 'Those responsible will not be spared under any circumstances, and the strictest legal action will be taken against them,' he asserted. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who met the injured workers at AIIMS, termed the incident 'a failure of governance.' He alleged that the illegal factory was running under political patronage. 'There were no fire safety measures, and even minor children were employed at the site. I met a few of them. Shockingly, the contractor disappeared after the blast, and the factory owner was of no help to the trapped workers,' he said. Demanding strict action against the accused, Badal added, 'If the government does not act firmly, SAD will launch an agitation at the site. Such tragedies must not be allowed to repeat. We demand immediate compensation for the affected families and a high-level inquiry into how such a dangerous operation continued unchecked.' He urged the state government to ensure accountability and stricter enforcement of industrial safety norms across Punjab.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP failed to deliver on its promises in 100 days: AAP
New Delhi: AAP on Thursday alleged that Delhi's "four-engine govt" had failed in the first 100 days to launch a single scheme or fulfil any electoral promise it had made but was "dismantling the ground-breaking public welfare schemes" of the previous administration. AAP, which governed Delhi for 10 years before losing to BJP in the assembly polls earlier this year, released its own 15-point report card of the current BJP dispensation in a press conference. It was addressed by former Delhi chief minister and now leader of opposition Atishi , AAP's Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj, and two other MLAs. "BJP govt will complete 100 days on May 30. People trusted them and voted for change, but instead of development, the three months have brought chaos," Atishi said. She accused govt of stalling the "good work that was already happening", adding that launching new schemes was out of the question. The party claimed there were frequent and prolonged power cuts across the city now. While the electricity tariff increased from 7-15%, there was a rise in private school fees, and Delhi was facing a severe water crisis, with claims of sewer water flowing from taps in several areas, AAP said. 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 Đăng ký Undo Atishi also alleged that the city recorded its worst pollution levels this summer, with the Air Quality Index crossing 500. AAP functionaries also claimed that BJP had halted critical welfare schemes such as the mohalla clinics and the Farishtey scheme and alleged that govt failed to provide permanent jobs to bus marshals. AAP also accused BJP of not delivering on major pre-poll promises, including the Rs 2,500 monthly honorarium to poor women and the subsidised LPG cylinders at Rs 500, with free distribution on Holi. "This was a major political comeback for the BJP after 27 years in Delhi. They have a four-engine govt — at the Centre, MCD, LG, and now the state — but in their first 100 days, they've only delivered 100 lies," Bharadwaj said. He added that despite their promise to not disrupt ongoing welfare programmes, BJP has been quietly removing doctors from mohalla clinics and rebranding AAP initiatives, such as renaming mohalla buses as 'DEVI' buses.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Punjab govt prepared for emergencies, says minister urges people to stay calm.
Patiala: Punjab health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh on Saturday assured the public that the state govt, under the leadership of chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, was fully prepared to deal with any emergency arising from the current tension between India and a high-level meeting with the Patiala district administration and the representatives of the associations dealing in essential commodities, Dr Balbir Singh urged the people to stay calm and avoid unnecessary panic buying. He emphasised that stocks of all essential items, including food, fuel, and medicines, were available in surplus."There is no need to get into panic buying. Hoarding will only create unnecessary pressure on the system. The govt has ensured that supplies remain uninterrupted," said Dr Balbir also appealed to the citizens not to approach or touch any suspicious object such as drones, missiles, or bomb-like items, and to report such sightings immediately to the police. "Handling such items is the responsibility of the Army, police, and fire brigade," he minister further directed representatives from the sectors, including LPG, petrol/diesel, fruits, vegetables, groceries, and medicines, to avoid hoarding or black marketing, and to spread awareness that supplies were stable and under informed that emergency and ambulance services with life-support systems were fully operational across govt hospitals. Additionally, under the 'Farishtey' scheme, treatment for any war or disaster-related injuries would be provided free of cost in all govt Balbir Singh, wearing his doctor's apron at the meeting, stressed the importance of community training in disaster preparedness. He said nursing staff, interns, paramedics, civil defence volunteers, and citizens across Punjab would be trained in first aid, rescue operations, and emergency instructed the director principal of Govt Medical College, Patiala, and the civil surgeon to formulate a standard operating procedure for these trainings. "Our objective is to ease the burden on the Army and police and to keep their morale high by ensuring civilian readiness and self-reliance in emergency situations," said the Varun Sharma assured that the district police were fully prepared to safeguard life and property, while ADC Navreet Kaur Sekhon, representing DC Preeti Yadav, confirmed that all emergency response teams in the district had been fully 121058446 413 |
