Tamil Nadu: Safety norms followed but

Chennai: Despite taking stringent measures against setting up of unlicensed firework shops, crackers continue to be on sale in stationery shops and pavements of Parry’s, learnt this correspondent through the reality checks conducted at commercial localities on Friday. Even though the safety measures are adequately followed, traders who failed to get permission from the local bodies follow various strategies. A trader seeking anonymity revealed, “They would keep empty cracker boxes, to portray it as a fireworks shop and deliver the crackers to their residences from godowns.”

Traders also set up shops on the either side of Bundar street, despite regular police patrol and inspection by corporation officials. A police officer on the rounds told Deccan Chronicle: “We had closed many such shops functioning inside a stationary or a grocery shop. Patrolling will be intensified within two days to stop their functioning.” Surprisingly, all traders – at Island Grounds, Parry’s and Teynampet – followed the safety norms prescribed by the government. “Teaching the workers about handling the goods is very important. Workers should know about all  emergency service numbers,” said R. Uma Maheswaran, partner of a heavy licensed fireworks shop, Sri Krishna Fireworks Industries, who confirmed this paper about non-prevalence of Chinese crackers in the locality.

At Island Grounds, there are four fire vehicles and tanks filled with metro water every day to protect all the 58 shops set up here. “Seriousness on safety measures escalated after knowing about the mishap at Sivakasi. All shops here have four buckets filled with sand and water and fire extinguishers,” said Sheik Abdullah, president of Chennai Metropolitan City Firecrackers Merchants Association.

To sensitise the public, Triplicane Urban Co Operative Society (TUCS) at Teynampet conducted awareness programmes on the usage of fire safety equipment. “The hard fact is that many are oblivious to operate the fire extinguishers. Through the session, many were taught about the usage,” said an employee from TUCS.