The price of negligence: On the Virudhunagar cracker unit blast

In yet another gruesome explosion at a fireworks unit on April 19 in Tamil Nadu’s southern Virudhunagar district, 25 workers were killed and eight others injured. The number of injured went up to 20, including policemen and firefighters, after another explosion occurred at the unit later. In the past four years, at least 134 people have died and 89 have been injured in such explosions in the district, which is known for its concentration of fireworks units. It is an outright misnomer to describe this type of explosion as an accident, as any preliminary investigation would reveal. Accidents are associated with elements of surprise and unanticipated occurrence. But in the case of Virudhunagar, it is known to every worker — even if no separate sensitisation course is conducted — that the firecracker industry is hazardous and that any negligence of safety norms can result in disaster. Moreover, such explosions have occurred at regular intervals in the district, claiming the lives of scores of workers, most of whom come from economically weaker sections of society. Beyond expressing condolences and announcing solatium, the authorities at the Union and State levels have done little of substance to reduce, if not eliminate, the risk of such explosions. What they should and could have done is intensify meaningful monitoring, the absence of which is now and then felt in the form of explosions.

The Virudhunagar incident has brought into focus the role of law enforcement authorities in ensuring proper supervision, as the unit in question was operating on a Sunday — observed as a holiday by the fireworks industry — apparently without permission. Contrary to the norms specified in the licence issued by the district authorities, which allow only a dozen people to work in any fireworks unit at any given time, 40 people were present at the unit at the time of the explosion on Sunday. These two aspects, judging by the frequency of such explosions, are not unique to this particular fireworks unit. Official inspections may have taken place but they would have been carried out more as a ritual than as a meaningful exercise. There have, of course, been reports of a manpower shortage within the monitoring authorities. While coming down heavily on wrongdoers, including unlicensed units and those working regularly in violation of safety norms, the officials should also ensure that, in the name of tighter supervision, legitimately functioning units are not subjected to harassment. They should also not gloss over the economic reality of the district where the industry provides employment to lakhs of people in a region that is largely arid and dependent on rain-fed irrigation. Sober elements in the industry should consider ways to increase the use of automation and reduce human involvement.