With the Supreme Court imposing timing restrictions on burning firecrackers on Diwali, the East Singhbhum district administration has decided to take extra fire safety measures this Diwali at the cracker shops in the steel city.
An official said they have decided to send fire safety inspection team comprising an executive magistrate and fire safety experts to carry survey.
"Following instructions from Supreme Court, we are taking cautious steps this time. As per the plans the fire safety inspection team will visit all the licensed cracker shops at Jugsalai and their godowns at Bhilaipahadi along the NH-33 where they will see if safety measures followed by the management of cracker shop owners were adequate enough for curbing any mishap," he said.
SDO Chandan Kumar said that the administration team will visit those licensed whole-sellers' office-cum-godown and will check whether they have the fire-extinguishers, stock of sand-bags, water storage at the premises where they use to sell crackers in Jugsalai.
According to information, cracker shops are found in lanes and by-lanes and an unique example is Naya Bazaar lane and Goushala Road. No tanker can reach such congested lanes. Situation is similar in areas of Parsudih, Burmamines, Sakchi and Mango.
Another guideline says that there should be a minimum distance of at least three metres between two shops selling fire crackers. Then there are minor precautions like keeping a fire extinguisher, sandbags, enough water storage and not to extend the shop boundaries. but all these were hardly visible. The shops are full with crackers without any fire extinguishers.
According to district administration officials police have been asked to keep an eye in the Jugsalai area for, it is most vulnerable zone as far illegal transaction of fire crackers are concerned. “Jugsalai for years has been the centre for dubious dealings of fire crackers and by rough estimates transaction worth crores of rupees takes place every year in the that particular pocket,” informed a senior vigilance official.