Oct 11 – On Tuesday, Karnataka’s Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, announced the suspension of three officials in response to the tragic firecracker incident that occurred on the outskirts of Bengaluru in Attibele. The suspended officials include the Tehsildar, Circle Police Inspector, and Regional Fire Officer.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister stated that notices would also be issued to the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police in connection to the incident.
To prevent similar incidents in the future, the government has decided to ban the use of firecrackers in political rallies, festivals, processions, and weddings across the state. Firework licenses will now require annual renewal.
Siddaramaiah emphasized that the state government was deeply concerned about the tragedy and made a decision to permit the sale of only “green” firecrackers throughout Karnataka during the Deepavali festival.
Regarding the incident itself, which resulted in the loss of 14 lives on October 7, Siddaramaiah reported that four people were injured, with one of them in critical condition. The government will cover the expenses for the treatment of the injured.
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of following proper procedures for issuing firework licenses. He pointed out that in this case, the license holder, Ramaswamy Reddy, had originally obtained a license for the sale of 1,000 kilograms of firecrackers but had stored approximately 7,000 to 8,000 kilograms in the godown.
The laborers involved in the incident were all students from Tamil Nadu, who had come to work for daily wages of Rs 600 during their vacation.
Siddaramaiah instructed officials to take all necessary precautions to prevent similar incidents in the future and stressed the importance of following safety regulations under the Explosives Act when issuing licenses.
He also called for vigilance in monitoring the transportation of firecrackers in the border area of Attibele-Hosur and strict compliance with Supreme Court orders regarding firecracker usage. Additionally, he emphasized the sale of only environmentally-friendly “green” firecrackers.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had suggested a ban on firecrackers during political gatherings and wedding processions for safety reasons.