Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident at Om Sakthi Fireworks that claimed 38 lives.
The inquiry would probe the cause of the accident and how the factory continued to function even after its permit was cancelled.
Jayalalithaa also ordered the upgradation of the burns unit of the Sivakasi Government Hospital, adding that it would be turned into a Centre of Excellence.
“The factory in question had been permitted to operate by the PESO in Nagpur in 2006. On September 4, Sivakasi Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives had cancelled the permit after finding that the factory was flouting norms by storing chemicals beyond the permitted capacity. Also, there were excess employees and encroachment of spaces set aside for safety regulations. The notification of this cancellation reached the office of the Virudhunagar Collector on the evening of September 5,” she said.
