AA Edit | Another Tragedy: Norms Ignored
As is routine in every such tragedy to occur in an area that has come to be known as the firecracker capital of the country, major safety lapses were noticed like excessive number of workers in small sheds meant for four persons and interconnected as in a warren of workplaces with few exits where explosive materials are handled
In the biggest firecracker blast incident of the year so far, more than 25 persons, 22 of them women, may have been killed and many more injured in the southern Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. The blast was severe to the extent of flattening several sheds in the facility while a second blast during rescue work may have caused more deaths.
As is routine in every such tragedy to occur in an area that has come to be known as the firecracker capital of the country, major safety lapses were noticed like excessive number of workers in small sheds meant for four persons and interconnected as in a warren of workplaces with few exits where explosive materials are handled.
While friction at the time of mixing explosive chemicals is invariably suspected to be the cause, what is not said is that a whole industry like this runs with few safety protocols. The operation of this particular factory was reportedly illegal as its licence had been cancelled and was being operated on a lease.
The district administration has duly announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased, condolences have been uttered for the death of the victims, as happens always.
The tragic part of all such mishaps is that the most vulnerable people, the poor workers who get bare subsistence pay, are the ones that lose their lives. With few other avenues for jobs available, many in the region opt to work in an unsafe environment while dealing with hazardous and dangerous raw materials, more often paying the price in terms of damage to their general health and their physique as the raw materials are certain to affect the lungs, etc.
Those who own the places of production will aver that they generate employment for so many people while ignoring safety protocols that may add to their costs. There is just no accountability in an industry whose very existence can be questioned in this age when spectacular public displays for entertainment can be put up without recourse to fireworks.
Enforcement of safety measures in such a hazardous industry is always lax — for obvious reasons. Systemic changes are called for to ensure greater safety in a hazardous industry, Of course, all that will remain just talk until the next tragedy occurs.