NGT seeks report from govt.on safety in firecracker units

The South Bench of the National Green Tribunal has asked the Tamil Nadu government and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) to submit a detailed report on how fireworks units in the state are handling safety and employment.

The direction came in response to repeated explosions that have claimed multiple lives in recent years.

The Bench on Thursday criticized the widespread use of untrained workers in hazardous operations and observed that most accidents could have been prevented with proper supervision and skills training.

He directed officials to present existing rules defining how skilled and unskilled workers should be hired and create clear guidelines where they do not currently exist. The issue is part of several linked cases of frequent explosions at fireworks units in Sivakasi, Virudhunagar and surrounding districts. The matter was sent for final hearing on December 23 and the Board warned that it would issue definitive orders if the required documents were not provided by then. Government data presented before the bench shows that at least 134 people have died and 89 people have been injured in fireworks unit accidents in Virudhunagar district alone since 2022. Many of these incidents occurred in units operating under a PESO license, raising doubts about the adequacy of control systems and monitoring methods.

The Board also directed the State and PESO to submit details of inspections carried out in the last five years, along with information on security training and compliance checks. He questioned whether the use of unskilled or untrained workers was punished strongly enough to deter violations, such as suspending licenses or closing unsafe facilities.

The situation requires a unified security framework that provides qualified auditors, continuous worker training, mandatory insurance and stringent sanctions against defaulters, the board said.