KRISHNAGIRI: Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R Sakkarapani on Sunday said gas leak from an LPG cylinder in a hotel near the firecracker shop led to the explosion at Palayapettai on Saturday, in which nine people died.
Addressing media after visiting the 13 injured people admitted to the government Krishnagiri medical college hospital, the minister said, “Forensic report said the explosion happened due to leakage of gas from an LPG cylinder in a hotel. To prevent such incidents in future, a survey will be conducted and steps taken to prevent firecracker shops/godowns from functioning amid residential and in crowded places.”
The minister handed solatium of Rs 1 lakh each to 11 people who were injured and Rs 50,000 each to two persons who suffered minor injuries. Police and revenue department sources told TNIE that M Ravi (46) of Palayapettai had a licence to sell crackers and followed all safety procedures. He got the licence in 2020 and it is valid till 2024, they said, adding Ravi has permission to store up to 500 kg of crackers in the shop.
On Saturday, D Antony Arockiyaraj (30), who runs a packaged drinking water business, lodged a police complaint stating that his family had rented out six row shops, including the hotel and the cracker shop.
On Saturday, he saw the hotel collapse following an explosion and crackers stacked in the shop going up in flames.
He alleged that a cylinder blast in the hotel triggered the explosion. However, people living near the shop differed in their opinion. Some of them said that poor storage conditions in the cracker unit caused the blast. On Sunday, a team of officers from Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) in Vellore, headed by Ganesan, deputy chief controller of explosives, inspected the accident spot collected samples.
MP Dr A Chellakumar, who visited the accident spot on Sunday, said authorities should check if there are residential units or shops before giving permission to cracker shops or godowns.