Kolkata, April 2 West Bengal Police on Wednesday launched massive operations against illegal factories following this week’s blast at an illegal firecrackers factory at Patharpratima in South 24 Parganas that claimed the lives of eight persons, including three children.
Some areas in the South 24 Parganas district has been traditionally hubs for the manufacturing of firecrackers, and in many cases, such manufacturing activities are being conducted from illegal factories.
There are also allegations against such unlicensed factories of employing underage children at very cheap rates.
Sources said that simultaneous raids and search operations throughout Wednesday resulted in the seizure of 200 kilograms of illegal firecrackers and manufacturing raw materials, leading to the arrest of three persons.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the Patharpratima blast, blaming the firecracker manufacturers for their negligence.
The Chief Minister also claimed that she had been informed that the cooking gas and raw materials for firecracker manufacturing were stocked in the same room of the residence at Patharpratima where the blast took place.
Meanwhile, 48 hours have passed since the blast took place, and one of the two accused co-owners of the house, Tushar Banik, is yet to be arrested. However, his elder brother Chandrakanta Banik is currently in police custody.
In February this year, four persons were killed and several others were injured following a blast at a firecracker factory at Kalyani in Nadia district of West Bengal.
In 2023, as many as nine persons were killed in a similar blast at an illegal firecracker factory at Egra in East Midnapore district. There were similar blasts at Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas and Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas districts during the last couple of years, killing several people.
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