Bengal fireworks body blames owner negligence admin lapses for Pathar Pratima blast

Kolkata, Apr 2 (PTI) The apex body of fireworks makers and sellers in West Bengal on Wednesday attributed the tragic blast at Pathar Pratima in South 24 Parganas, which claimed eight lives the day before, to the negligence of the fireworks unit owner and the "lack of monitoring by a section of the local administration."
    Despite holding the necessary license to produce permitted fireworks, the owner’s failure to strictly enforce safety rules for the storage of fireworks, coupled with inadequate regulatory oversight by the local police station and officials, may have contributed to the scale of the tragedy, Babla Roy, chairman of Sara Bangla Atasbazi Unnayan Samity, told PTI.
    Roy emphasised the importance of adhering to the green cluster model introduced by the CM in 2023, particularly by licensed fireworks units.
    He said safety parameters, such as maintaining adequate distances between units within a fireworks cluster, must be strictly observed.
    Roy said regular inspections by the administration and fire department officials are a must to ensure compliance with safety protocols, including keeping fireworks away from flammable materials such as LPG cylinders.
    "Apparently, those safety measures were not being followed in Pathar Pratima," Roy said.
    "Local police station's role in monitoring such lapses should also be investigated and if proved guilty of abetment in violating safety rules by the owner, the officer-in-charge or any other policeman should be brought under disciplinary action," he said.
    The explosion took place on Monday night when a gas cylinder blast at a house in Dholahat, Pathar Pratima, resulted in seven deaths. Another victim succumbed to injuries on Tuesday.
    The fire that followed was intensified by the alleged presence of stacked firecrackers inside the house.
    The incident triggered political reactions, with the BJP demanding an NIA probe, while the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) maintained that the police are already investigating the matter.
    This tragedy follows a series of similar incidents in the state.
    On February 12, 2025, four people died in an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in Nadia district.
    In May 2023, an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in Egra, Purba Medinipur, claimed 11 lives, and in August of the same year, another blast in North 24 Parganas district resulted in seven fatalities.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)