CHENNAI: In 2009, rows of firecracker shops in places like Parrys and Egmore were asked to shift to Island Grounds following a High Court order. This directive was given after it was found that the shops were being set up without abiding by the Explosives Act.
However, almost seven years later and a year after the horrific firecrackers accident in Kollam in Kerala that killed more than 100 people, some of those rules continue to be broken.
According to M Shahun Hameed, Joint Director, Northern Region Fire Department, fire crackers should only be set up in permanent buildings. “The shop cannot be a makeshift place but should be a proper shelter made with bricks, with a proper entrance and fire escape door as well. The room should also be no less than 25 square metres,” he explained. While many shops grossly violate the permanent building rule, what is more worrying is that these shops are set up in densely populate areas, though the Act insists that shops maintain at least 15 metres, especially if they are selling items like small bombs.
“Traders should also ensure that shops are not in areas where there are lots of other stores, like supermarkets or schools, hospitals and areas that attract a lot of other people or where there is an opportunity for fire to be used like hotels or tea shops,” the director explained. In areas like Arcot Road, Kodambakkam and Ashok Pillar, the shops are pretty much stuck to each other, forget a 15-metre distance.
Meanwhile, a pedestrian said she had seen firecrackers being sold in supermarkets as well.
If hospitals are also to be avoided, it is questionable how crackers are being allowed to be sold on YMCA Grounds when the Government Royapettah Hospital is bang opposite it. “Till now, we haven’t had any trouble but if there were to be some accident, then it would quite obviously affect our patients,” said Nazir Ahmed who is the Medical Superintendent at the hospital.
However, Hameed said that supervisions were being made for safe sale of firecrackers and also said that all precautionary steps were being taken to avoid any casualty.