Many illegal cracker making units have been illegally flourishing in the district here under the very nose of the police and district administration but ironically, the authorities have remained a mute spectator.
In villages such as Garapur, Sujanagar and Gulnagar on the outskirts of Kendrapara town more than a dozen of families manufacture crackers though they don’t have proper licences under the Indian Explosive Act.
According to an estimate, about 100 families are eking out their livelihoods by making crackers in the district and its nearby villages since long. They mint money during the festival seasons like Dussehra, Kali Puja, Diwali and marriage season.
“Cracker makers endanger their lives and others by making the crackers in their small rooms. Rarely do they take proper precaution to prepare the crackers. They also heap the explosives in their houses carelessly and invite danger to their lives and properties,” said assistant fire officer Sarat Chandra Mallick. Many fire- cracker makers in the villages of Garapur, Dihabalarampur , Kacheripada, Pundalo, Tendakuda, Chandol and other villages are now buzzing with cracker making activities as the demands of crackers are flowing from the people especially in Kali puja festival season.
Through their dexterous hands they swiftly bind the crackers putting explosives. The scent of explosives in their thatched house is not bearable for a common man even for a few minutes but strangely sitting in this tiny room they prepare the crackers caring little about their health. The houses of many cracker makers are littered with explosives, palm leaves and other cracker making items. “Diwali, the festival of light, is the peak season for us to earn money for which all my family members and other labourers are now busy making crackers,” said Guru Pani, owner of a cracker manufacturing unit at Dhumat.
“Many cracker makers died and sustained serious injuries in these villages in the past but still they are not in a mood to leave their traditional works,” said a fire cracker artisan of Diha Balarampur.
According to fire officer Mallick, only Guru Pani of Dhumat has taken licence from the Fire department whereas nine persons from Kendrapara, Derabish, Mahakalapada and Marshaghai blocks have taken annual licence for possessing and selling fire crackers. There are 25 others in these blocks who too have taken licence for setting up temporary fire cracker stalls, he informed.
But, if one visits to the four blocks, then the number of temporary shops would not be less than 80 whereas illegal fire manufacture units are nearly 50 in number in the district. This confirms that a majority of them do not possess licence.
According to several the fire cracker stall owners, they had applied for licence but as the ADM of the district had been transferred and the PD who is in charge of ADM was not available, so they were forced to open the stalls without any licence.
When contacted the Sub Collector of Kendrapara Pratap Kumar Mishra stated that he had asked the SDPOs of Kendrapara and Pattamundai to conduct raid in different fire cracker manufacturing units and temporary stalls to ensure whether they were running legally or not.
He assured that action would be taken against those operating illegally.