41 firecracker shops sealed in Jabalpur a day after tragedy in MP's Harda

The administration in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Wednesday sealed 41 shops selling firecrackers for non-compliance with licence norms, a decision coming in the wake of the Harda tragedy, an official said.

An explosion and subsequent blaze at a firecracker factory in MP's Harda district on Tuesday killed 11 people and injured more than 200 others.

Jabalpur Collector Deepak Saxena and Superintendent of Police Aditya Pratap Singh on Wednesday inspected manufacturing units, warehouses and shops of firecrackers and explosive materials located in the district.

The officials found 41 firecracker shops located in Kathunda area flouting licence conditions, the district administration said in a press release. Besides, the officials also found that these shops had not maintained records properly.

After finding many shortcomings like lack of proper security measures, fire NOC and record keeping, the collector instructed that the firecrackers be sealed, the press note said.

Collector Saxena said if the shopkeepers do not follow the licence conditions, then they will not be allowed to run the set-ups, stressing that norms should be followed in letter and spirit to avoid any untoward incident.

The collector and SP inspected a factory manufacturing sparklers at Manegaon. This unit had no clearance from the Pollution Control Board, the press note said.

The collector asked officials to submit a report on the factory, spread over six and a half acres, it said.

There are 137 shops or godowns related to firecrackers and explosive substances in the district and all have licences, which are being thoroughly investigated, it said.

Meanwhile, more than 100 people were still undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Madhya Pradesh while two persons were missing after the blast, officials said.