VIRUDHUNAGAR: In the wake of the recent explosions at firecracker units killing 14 people, revenue department officials sealed six retail cracker shops in Sivakasi for stocking crackers excess to that of permitted quantity. According to sources, officials from the police department inspected cracker shops in Viswanatham, Sivakasi, Anupankulam, Kongalapuram, and found six retail cracker shops--Santhosh Pyro shop and Star Crackers Agencies in Viswanatham, Lakshmi Agencies in Sivakasi, Vishwakumaran Pyro Park and Kavin crackers in Anupankulam and Arya traders in Kongalapuram--stocking excess crackers.
Sattur Town Police, who held inspections on Wednesday, booked three people under the Explosives Act for manufacturing crackers illegally at a building near a cracker shop in Mettamalai. "Around 1,000 pieces of eight different cracker varieties were seized from the building close to Shri Sakthivel Pyro Park," sources said, adding that the crackers were being manufactured without obtaining proper license. On the same day, Vembakottai Police booked a 33-year-old man for manufacturing crackers in a shed without license.
Meanwhile, Vachakarapatti police arrested and remanded a 36-year-old man for illegally manufacturing firecrackers under a tree at Abhinaya Fire office near Meenampatti on Thursday. The accused, P Mareeswaran, is the son of the unit's owner Paramasivam. It is to be noted that the cracker unit was temporarily shut down twice by the district administration earlier. A case has also been registered against the owner on Thursday.