31 Workers Employed Instead of 8 at Fire Unit: Pawan Kalyan
After visiting the Government General Hospital, Kakinada, and consoling the injured, the Deputy Chief Minister said non-compliance with rules by the unit management was the primary cause of the explosion.
Kakinada: Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on Sunday said gross violation of safety norms led to the firecracker blast at Vetlapalem in Samalkota mandal of Kakinada district, revealing that 31 workers were employed at the unit against the permitted limit of eight.
After visiting the Government General Hospital, Kakinada, and consoling the injured, the Deputy Chief Minister said non-compliance with rules by the unit management was the primary cause of the explosion. He said excess labour was engaged due to fairs and festival demand, calling it “outrageous” that such a large number of workers were made to work in a confined unit.
He said although the unit owner had obtained the required permissions, the safety regulations were not followed, and responsibility must rest with the management when such incidents occur.
Pawan Kalyan said the government would further tighten licensing and safety norms for firecracker units to prevent recurrence of such tragedies. He added that he and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had discussed stricter enforcement of rules while granting licences to such units.
The Deputy Chief Minister also assured that the entire cost of medical treatment for those injured in the blast would be borne by the State government.