Diwali aiding rise of illegal firecracker units

11 November 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 11 NOV: With the use of firecrackers expanding rapidly despite a growing movement against its production and use, hundreds of fire-crackers' units are functioning illegally in rural areas of both East and West Midnapore districts.
Strict guidelines issued by the state government seem to be no deterrent for these manufacturers who produce the firecrackers at their houses.
Last Friday's explosion at a manufacturing unit at Hirakonia in Contai, East Midnapore, which killed four people, including a child and two women, brought the spotlight once again on this dangerous and unorganised sector.
“Two years ago, three people were killed at Payag in Kolaghat in an explosion at an illegal firecracker unit, but since then no adequate measures to stop the illegal production have been taken by the district administration,” said Mr Bhupati Das, a social activist working in East Midnapore district.
“These illegal units surprisingly have no licence and are set up under the patronage of politicians who have a clout in the civil and police administration in running the firecracker units," said a resident of Pataspur, on conditions of anonymity.
Residents involved in the business, however, rue that the administration is only deterring the self-employed youths from selling firecrackers and not charting out any positive course for them. “Instead of imposing a clampdown on a flourishing industry, the administration should draw safety plans, hold workshops and try to impress upon the manufacturers safe practices in the manufacturing units,” said Mr Sheikh Sakil, a resident of Sabra near Khakurda in West Midnapore.
A district labour department officer of East Midnapore said: “Hundreds of fire-cracker units are running illegally and a considerable number of children are engaged in the profession. Before uplifting the fire-cracker industry, stringent rules on the illegal employment of children should be implemented.”
“The number of these units goes up as many small-scale units come up before Diwali. Since these units are illegal, they hardly follow any preventive guidelines,” said Mr Mamud Hossain, Saha-Sabhadhipati of the East Midnapore Zilla Parishad.
Experts say most crackers contain toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium that can have severe effects on health. Chinese fire crackers, especially, are infamous for high sulphur dioxide emissions but are available aplenty despite the restriction on their sale in India.
Mr Anand Sharma, a research scholar at IIT, Kharagpur said: “The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation’s notification to fire cracker manufacturers prohibits crackers with noise level exceeding 125dB (AI) or 145dB (C) at 4 metres from the point of bursting. The Supreme Court has also directed PESO to set chemical formulae for each type or category of cracker. I have doubts whether these rules are being followed.”
“Though firecrackers are increasingly being used round-the-year in India, traditionally, demand soars during Diwali, the festival of light and sound. Billions of rupees worth of firecrackers goes up in smoke in major towns and cities,” he said.