Kollam: Even three years after the Puttingal disaster that claimed 110 lives and left hundreds injured, the investigation agencies have not filed the chargesheet in the case. A judicial probe is still going on to find out the lapses of the administration and the police force.
The disaster took place on April 10, 2016 after a cracker house caught fire during a competitive firework held at Puttingal temple, Paravur here.
The draft chargesheet by the Crime Branch is awaiting the final approval from the district administration as it falls under the Explosives Act.
The victims also did not get sufficient compensation as estimated by the PWD buildings department due to an upper sealing of Rs. 1.9 lakh as the fund is channelled from 'financial assistance under natural calamities.'
The Crime Branch has found a total of 59 accused in the incident. Murder charges have been slapped on 37 of them, including the temple committee members and fireworks people.
The order by the district magistrate to prevent the competitive fireworks, based on several reports from various government organisations and the tahsildar, was violated causing the accident.
Puttingal temple devaswom managing committee secretary J. Krishnankutty Pillai had sought permission to conduct the fireworks on February 23, 2016. The order preventing the fireworks was issued by the ADM on April 8, two days before the disaster. However, neither the ADM nor the district magistrate has the power of attorney to review the order once issued. Only the land revenue commissioner could do it, but he was not contacted by the organisers.
The reports suggested denial of permission for the event because there existed the possibility of using explosives beyond permissible limit as the event was competitive fireworks between two 'fireworks masters.'
The judicial probe ordered into the tragedy had earlier come to a standstill with the resignation of commission retired Justice N. Krishnan Nair.
The government also failed to provide sufficient facilities for the commission to start the inquiry.
The commission later headed by Justice P.S. Gopinathan conducted various sittings and recorded the statements of witnesses, but the report is yet to be submitted.
