KAKINADA: The tragic firecracker explosion at Vetlapalem has left several families devastated, highlighting the harsh realities of livelihood dependence on hazardous work.
Despite knowing the risks, villagers say they have little choice but to join fireworks units, as alternative employment is scarce.
Vemagiri Daveedu, a resident of Kummari Veedhi in Samalkota, is one such worker who has spent over a decade mixing chemicals in firecracker units. He joined Surya Sri Fireworks at Vetlapalem just two months ago and is now battling for his life at Kakinada Government General Hospital.
His family, including his wife Vijayakumari, three children, and elderly mother, is left waiting for food and survival, underscoring the desperation that drives many to take up dangerous jobs despite repeated accidents.
The Vetlapalem incident has once again exposed the fragile balance between livelihood and safety in rural Andhra Pradesh. Daveedu is the main source of income for his family, and his absence has left them struggling. His family members are afraid about how they will survive with the children, as they don’t know any other work and have no properties for an income source.
Another victim, Darsipati Raju, died on March 1 while receiving treatment at GGH, leaving behind a 3-year-old girl and a 3-month-old girl. His wife, Subba Lakshmi, is in her third postnatal month and is struggling to cope with the loss. She has no maternal or paternal relatives to support her and is facing mental stress.
The government provides treatment to victims in the hospital, but their families are being ignored, said Jada Sravan Kumar, a former judge. The economic state of all 23 deceased families and the six burn-injured persons’ families is the same. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced child care, education, and immediate rehabilitation, but so far, no support has reached the victims’ families.