Fireworks are nothing
new to the state, it has reasonably long history in this area. The Thrissur puram fireworks have admirers all
around the state.
An unavoidable part of celebrations and festivals, fireworks
has its place whether gala is political, religious, or a cultural one.
Though the display of these fireworks are entertaining, production and
storage of these explosives are no easy job. It is extremely dangerous and a
complex undertaking. It claims a number of lives every year.
Explosives used for fireworks are often locally made and
needs specialist workers for the purpose. The lack of enough specialists
have made this field a money spinner thus attracting and maintaining people
though it may cost them their lives. Though these firework related disasters
burn down many lives to ashes every year little could be done as it had
become a cultural symbol of the state.
No Malayali can ever imagine the ‘Thrissur Puram’ without
its ‘vedikettu’ (fire works display). However the recent ban by the chief
controller of explosives shows signs of a safer future. Potassium chlorate,
an already banned chemical were widely used in the fireworks which were
often detected as reasons for many disasters including the one last year in
Thrissur which claimed more than five lives. The chief controller of
explosives (CEE) Nagpur, M.Anbunathan has said the use of banned chemical
potassium chlorate will not be permitted this year on.
Mr. Anbunathan is the head of petroleum and explosives safety
organization (PESO) earlier known as Indian Explosives Department. He was
speaking at a meeting of festival committees convened by him recently at
Kochi. He pointed out that the banned chemical was often the major reason
for mops of the firework related disasters in the state. Mr . Anbunathan
said that the PSEO has decided to reduce the safety distance between the
site of display site and the spectators to 50 mtrs for 1,000 kg firework.
The logic of which is not understood. The experts say that this decision was
really silly and will only help in creating more disasters; even the
explosives act stipulate the safety distance for spectators at 200 mtrs,
they said.
Another suggestion put forward by the PESO is reducing the
size of shells. The suggestion is to keep it limited to eight inches. The
PSEO insisted festival committees to setup temporary magazines to store
works and also prescribed a 45 mtrs as safety distance from such magazines.
On paper, these suggestions, rules and prescriptions look great - lets see
how far they work.
- Girish Raghavan for CalicutNet
