Following recent explosions in the Virudhunagar and Krishnagiri districts of Tamil Nadu, the state’s revenue department has taken significant action to conduct regular inspections at firecracker factories and godowns. The explosions at a firecracker factory in Sivakasi, Virudhunagar district, resulting in the deaths of two women, and a major explosion at a firecracker godown in Krishnagiri district, claiming nine lives and injuring ten people, prompted the Chief Minister’s intervention.
In response to the tragedies, the Chief Minister ordered the implementation of regular inspections to ensure strict adherence to safety measures and rules at such establishments. The state has witnessed several unfortunate incidents where people lost their lives and many were left with life-altering injuries in fires at firecracker industries. Being a major producer of firecrackers in the country, Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi, known as the fireworks capital of South India, boasts an annual turnover of Rs 6000 crore and provides employment to approximately 8 lakh people directly or indirectly.