Fire personnel disposing of the firecrackers and other raw materials recovered from the site where a blast occurred on Sunday, killing eight persons at Kailasapatnam in Kotavuratla mandal in Anakapalli district, on Monday.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

The firecracker manufacturing unit at Kailasapatnam village in Anakapalli district, where an explosion occurred, claiming the lives of some of its workers on Sunday, made its staff work overtime on that day as it had received a huge order from customers who intended to burst them at village deity festivals during the summer, said sources.

Visakhapatnam Regional Fire Officer D. Niranjan Reddy shares with The Hindu his observations regarding the accident.

“Firecrackers have become mandatory for any celebrations these days, and the suppliers use this surge in demand as an opportunity to make a quick buck,” he says.

“As per our records, there are around 20 licensed firework manufacturing units in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. We are making all efforts to prevent any untoward incidents due to these units,” he adds

Mr. Reddy also said that the Director General of the Fire Department, Madireddy Pratap, visited the accident spot on Monday and studied it thoroughly to understand the cause of such accidents and what preventive measures must be taken to prevent their recurrence.

Weighing in, environmentalist J.V. Ratnam says fireworks are not an Indian invention but a Chinese one.

“Now, people are bursting firecrackers for fun and even for funeral processions. We should not blame anyone, but this is the present trend in society, ” Mr. Ratnam says.

Meanwhile, High Court advocate S.K. Sri Krishna Yesaswi opines that bursting crackers is more of a social activity rather than a religious or traditional custom.

While the fireworks business is well-established in Visakhapatnam, with several manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers operating here, experts opine that the consistent demand for crackers throughout the year has increased production and work-associated risk for the workers.