Can’t we put an end to these tragedies?

When firecrackers transported and stored to be burst during the festival season, go up in flames at the wrong time killing more than a dozen people and injuring many others, it is more than obvious that there is something terribly wrong with the manner in which industries handling hazardous products are being monitored and supervised.

The horrendous tragedy at Anekal close to the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border goes to prove that a lot more needs to be done to monitor such industries which have proliferated in many parts of the city.

The said consignment of crackers had arrived at the godown in Attibele from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, considered the hub of the firecracker industry in the country.

They were meant for the coming Diwali festival in November when families do not consider the celebrations complete without bursting a few crackers. The troubling question here is whether the prescribed safety norms have been adhered to?

As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remarked on Sunday during a visit to the blast site, no fire safety measures were in place, not even fire extinguishers which goes to prove the blatant disregard for safety norms at industrial units which definitely endanger lives.

And sadly, many of those who died in the mishap were students out to earn a few extra bucks to meet expenses. The incident happened allegedly because of improper transportation and storage.

It is a known fact that Bengalureans make a beeline for Hosur in the neighbouring state every year ahead of Diwali to purchase crackers which are considered cheaper and of better quality in the TN town which gets its consignments from Sivakasi.

With Diwali just a month away, a huge number of such consignments are set to arrive as the days pass. It is clear to anyone that efforts should therefore have been in place to check godowns and shops which store these crackers in huge quantities.

Whether this has been done in the particular case is a subject matter of investigation. Other questions will also have to be answered; like whether the godown owner had the requisite permit to store such a huge quantity of firecrackers.

Have officials erred while handing out permits to a place where there was no firefighting equipment as claimed by the CM? Was the consignment handled properly as per safety norms or was there was negligence in this regard?

Industrial accidents of this kind are a big killer. At least 6,500 employees have died on duty at factories, ports, mines and construction sites in five years, the Union labour ministry informed Parliament in 2021 according to a report.

So is enough being done to monitor industries, factories and godowns where the goods or work processes involve a hazardous element? Or is it the ‘chalta he’ attitude which overrules everything else while we wait for the next mishap to bring our politicians and officials to their senses?

The state administration has now issued instructions to the cops and district officials to check all warehouses where crackers are stored to rule out the possibility of such tragedies happening in future.

Thought belated, one hopes this will help in keeping a close vigil on such shops and godowns which are thronged by hundreds of people as the festival approaches.

Their safety is of equal concern just like the well-being of the workers who handle these hazardous material with the potential to explode and cause a disaster.

Fourteen lives have been lost because of negligence and all that one can hope for is that the government, made much wiser by this incident will swing into action, and make sure that Bengaluru’s fair name is not tarnished by these avoidable mishaps.