The Kochi City police are set to crack the whip on places of worship that conduct fireworks display illegally without securing prior permission from the agencies concerned.
The move comes in the wake of the explosion that ripped through an allegedly illegal temporary firecracker storage unit at Choorakkadu in Puthiyakavu division of Thripunithura municipality that left one dead and 16 injured on Monday morning. The firecrackers were meant for the ongoing festival at Puthiyakavu Temple.
“We have formed a team, which has been assigned to draw up a list of forthcoming festivals in various police station limits, considering that February and March are festival season. We will issue a warning to all committees that cases will be registered against them if they dare conduct fireworks displays illegally,” said S. Syamsundar, District Police Chief (Kochi City).
He was speaking to The Hindu immediately after visiting the explosion site along with District Collector N.S.K Umesh and Hibi Eden, MP. Mr. Syamsundar said it had come to his notice that many such firework displays were being organised in connection with festivals in the city illegally without securing permission.
He said that in the instant case, the firecracker storage unit where the explosion had taken place had been functioning illegally without the requisite permissions. The explosion had taken place reportedly when firecrackers meant for the fireworks display by Vadakkumbhagam group at Puthiyakavu Temple on Monday evening were being unloaded at the illegal storage unit. The fireworks display was cancelled in the wake of the tragedy.
“The volume of firecrackers involved can be ascertained only in consultations with the temple committee. The licensee entrusted with supplying the explosives was found to be a resident of Thiruvananthapuram, but from where he had illegally transported the firecrackers remains to be verified,” said Mr. Syamsundar.
A case was about to be registered by the Hill Palace police invoking charges under relevant provisions of the Indian Explosives Act and the Indian Penal Code, including for culpable homicide.
Incidentally, the Hill Palace police had suo motu taken a case on Sunday for conducting a fireworks display without permission. The secretary and the president of Nadama Thekkumbhagam of Puthiyakavu Temple and other known persons were booked under IPC Section 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), Section 118 (f) (transports explosive articles or dangerous substances without being lawfully authorised to do so) of the Kerala Police Act, and Indian Explosives 9(B)(1)(b) (possesses, uses, sells or transports any explosive in contravention of rules).
Another fireworks display was conducted in the temple on Monday morning just ahead of the tragic incident.
