ALAPPUZHA: Even as the festival season gets underway flouting the rules set by the Union Ministry's Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), the Government has no adequate mechanism to curb illegal cracker manufacturing units.
Even though on March 18, last, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had informed the Assembly that guidelines had been framed to prevent the functioning of illegal cracker units in the State, neither the police nor district administration was aware of it.
According to V.K.Venkitachalam, secretary of the Public Interest Forum, even though the Explosives Rule 2008 had authorised Additional District Magistrates to issue licences, the revenue and police personnel were now at the receiving end.
Therefore, a blanket ban should be imposed until the Centre issued the proposed amended version of the Explosives Rule 2008, empowering the PESO to issue such licences.
“For the past eight years , a total of 463 fireworks disasters had occurred in Kerala, claiming the lives of 510 people including 352 male workers, 80 women workers, 33 licencees and 43 laymen. Out of the 463 disasters, 420 occurred inside the manufacturing units and 43 at places of display.
This shows that they occurred due to unauthorized use of banned chemicals like potassium cholerate and potassium nitrate with support of the local officials”, he says.
Prof K.R.Janardhanan, an expert on explosives, says that the main reason for the mishaps is when unskilled people are employed as pyrotechnicians.
“No unit in the State has taken proper safety measures as per PESO instructions. Most pyrotechnicians don't know whether the chemicals are toxic or not. They have also not been taught about the ways to dispose of the explosives," he adds.
Dominic Antony, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) here, says licence for cracker manufacturing units is being issued under the strict guidelines set by PESO.
“The district administration has taken strong measures to contain the illegal units with the support of local panchayats in the light of the Cherthala tragedy”, he said.
