The factory where a fire broke out in Halda on Tuesday, killing 11 people and injuring more than 200, was blamed for irregularities, including storage of explosives far above the permissible limit and lack of proper water tanks, and the district administration has filed a lawsuit against the factory in 2023. This was discovered during an inspection conducted in September. , the documents accessed by HT came to light on Wednesday.
No corrective action was taken during the interim period. According to a copy of the inspection report of a factory in Bairagarh area of Narmadapuram district owned by Rajesh Agarwal and Somesh Agarwal, who were arrested on Wednesday, the factory has violated several norms under the Explosive Substances Act, 2008. , operations should be stopped immediately. Prevent loss of life.
“No documentary evidence was produced during the investigation regarding the approved maps/drawings of the firecracker manufacturing facility.During the investigation, it was found that the manufactured firecrackers were kept in the warehouse room for drying, does not comply with Specification 3 of the Explosives Act 2008,” the report said.
The report also said the amount of explosives found at the factory far exceeded the permit, and there were also crackers such as twine bombs, which violated permit conditions. The report said the factory was authorized to store only 15 kg of explosives, but the defendants obtained two permits for the factory located on the same site. “The inventory was many times higher than the prescribed limit,” the report said.
According to the report, the factory did not have adequate water tanks as specified in Regulation 13(1) of the Explosive Substances Act 2008 to ensure implementation of safety regulations as specified in Section 11(4) of the Act. There were no foremen qualified to do so. .
In September 2023, Inspector General and then district magistrate Ashish Khare had asked the Narmadapuram commissioner to seal the factory. However, no action was taken.
In September 2022, the factory was inspected by the then Collector Rishi Garg, who recommended sealing the factory and canceling its permit under the Explosives Act. However, his recommendation was overturned on October 14, 2022 by then-division chief Mal Singh, according to the document.
Mr. Mal Singh refuted the findings and said, “It is an old issue and when the issue was raised with me during the hearing, I informed the collector to reconsider the case.”
On Wednesday, department secretary Pawan Sharma said, “Four licenses have been issued – two each from the Deputy Controller of Explosives, Bhopal and two from the district administration – to operate cracker factories on the same premises. “It was done,” he said. Two licenses given by the district administration have been cancelled, and they have asked Bhopal to cancel the remaining two licenses as well. ”
Former Bairagarh city police officer Dhirendra Saini said the suspects had turned the entire area into a “suppression zone” for explosives. “He gave explosives to local residents and manufactured crackers at his home under his contract. This is why when the factory caught fire, there were also explosions in nearby houses.” she said.
Ramkunwar Singh (65), a resident of Bairagarh, who lost his son and daughter-in-law in the incident, said: [my son] I had to take out a loan to pay for the construction of my house under the housing scheme. His son and daughter-in-law started working at the factory to pay off the loan. The accused lured local residents to work in dangerous conditions. ”
Another local resident, Karabai Belder, said: INR200 to make 1,000 string bombs. I was working on the second floor on Tuesday when the explosion occurred. We raced towards the front door, but a massive explosion seriously injured me. ”
Sandeep Kumar, another worker admitted at a hospital in Halda, explained how the explosion took place. “A spark occurred at a factory refining gunpowder. The explosives then ignited and a truck loaded with crackers also caught fire,” he said.
Local lawyer Praveen Soni said in July 2021 that a Halda court had filed a lawsuit against factory owners Rajesh Agarwal and Dinesh for their management of a firecracker factory where two workers were killed in a fire in 2015. It said it had found Mr Sharma guilty of culpable homicide, which does not amount to murder.
The court said in its judgment that Agarwal had permission to store up to 15 kg of gunpowder, but there were many times that amount in the warehouse and factory.
“The accused was released on bail within a month and a half. Mr. Agarwal was arrested again in November 2021 after a fire claimed three lives. His license was cancelled, but his brother's I got my license again in the name of Somesh Agrawal,” Soni said.
On Wednesday, the Agarwal brothers were arrested again along with local superintendent Rafique Patel.
