THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An owner of a cracker manufacturing unit was seriously injured in a blast that ripped through his cracker shop at Nanniyode in Palode police station limits on Wednesday morning. The injured is Shibu, 48. Police said the explosion occurred at his shop at 10.30am. Shibu, who was inside the shop at the time of the blast, sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment.
Police said they are yet to confirm what triggered the blast. However, they suspect that Shibu stored raw materials required for making crackers at his shop and that could have gone off, causing the blast. Shibu owns a licensed cracker manufacturing unit as well as a shop selling the crackers. The manufacturing unit is located in Alampara, 3km away from the place where the blast occurred.
“We suspect that he might have kept the ingredients required to make crackers at his shop. The ingredients could have been brought from his manufacturing unit. This is only our assessment and we will reach a conclusion after conducting a detailed forensic examination,” said a police officer.
According to police data, Alampara houses over two dozen cracker manufacturing units, which are legally operating with valid licences. These units provide crackers to dealers across the district. In the wake of the incident, police have started identifying whether any illegal cracker manufacturing units are functioning in the area.
“We have also decided to conduct inspections at all manufacturing units and shops in the locality. If any unit or shop is found to be violating rules, we will take strict action against them,” the officer added. Nanniyode had witnessed a high-intensity explosion in 2015 which resulted in the death of two people.