- विज्ञापन -
Muktsar Sahib, May 30:At least five people were killed and 34 injured on Friday in a blast at a double-storey illegal firecracker factory located on the outskirts of a village in Punjab’s Muktsar district, police said.
Most of the victims were migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The factory, owned by Tarsem Singh, who is associated with the state-ruled AAP, in Singhwala village, was reduced to rubble owing to the intensity of the blast, trapping many under debris. According to the police, the blast occurred at midnight.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, and most of them were stated to be out of danger. Senior Superintendent of Police, Muktsar Sahib, Akhil Chaudhary, said the blast occurred in one of the rooms in the manufacturing setup of the unit, which led to the collapse of the roof. Many people got trapped under the debris, and rescue operations were launched immediately after the police received information about the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaspal Singh said five bodies had been recovered from the debris, and 29 injured individuals were rushed to AIIMS Bathinda and hospitals in Muktsar.
Rescue teams were still on the scene, working to clear the rubble and search for survivors, if any. The exact cause of the blast is being worked out, but initial investigation suggests that the blast occurred from potash used in manufacturing crackers. Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Abhijit Kaplish told the media that no permission was granted to the manufacturing unit under the Explosives Rules of 2008.
“An application was made by the owners, but reports from different departments were pending, so no permission was granted,” he clarified. Scattered shoes, broken glass panes and vehicles were seen all over the accident spot, as rescuers were sifting through the rubble in search of survivors. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal has demanded a probe into the incident and urged the government to promptly release adequate compensation to the victims’ families.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Khudian said the factory owner is a supporter of the AAP, but that does not permit anyone to engage in illegal activity. “The law will take its own course,” he added.
In 2020, a total of 23 people were killed and 27 were injured in the explosion in an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Punjab’s Batala town. It was manufacturing and storing crackers for a ‘nagar kirtan’ — a religious procession relating to the birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak Dev. A similar blast occurred in Batala in January 2017, leaving one person dead and three injured.
Team went from Dabwali for rescue and relief work
After the blast in the factory, members of Shah Satnam Ji Green S Welfare Committee from Dabwali of Sirsa have reached for rescue work. Relief and rescue work is going on.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia said that the news of the death of 4 workers and injuries to others due to the explosion in a firecracker factory is very sad. We demand from the administration that this matter should be investigated thoroughly. The families of the deceased should be compensated immediately and the injured should be treated at government expense.
The name of the firecracker factory operator is said to be Tarsem Singh. The factory operator has not yet reached the spot. The factory documents have also not been found yet. The police is gathering information.
Police says that only after the factory owner arrives will it be known whether the documents are there or not. Strict action will be taken on this as well. Action will also be taken against the factory owner. Statements of the injured have not been recorded yet.
