Kakinada, Mar 5 (TNT): The Peddapuram police have arrested two owners of a fireworks manufacturing unit in connection with the deadly explosion at Vetlapalem village in Peddapuram mandal in the district on February 28 afternoon, that cla0imed 28 lives.
Addressing the media along with the in-charge DSP KVV Satyanarayana at the district police office here on Thursday, District Superintendent of Police (SP) Bindu Madhav, said the arrested accused were Adabala Arjun (29) and Adabala Virababu (31), who jointly ran the fireworks unit Surya Sri Fire Works along with their father Adabala Srinivasarao (55).
The factory was operating on rented agricultural land at Vetlapalem after obtaining licences.
The powerful explosion occurred on the afternoon of February 28 at the crackers factory, killing 20 workers on the spot and leaving 11 others severely injured. Several of the injured later succumbed to burns while undergoing treatment at the government general hospital, taking the death toll to 28, the SP said.
He said Srinivasarao, who was also named as the third accused in the FIR, died in the blaze.
The SP said the blast occurred due to gross negligence and greed on the part of the accused. Their licences were set to expire by the end of March, and they allegedly rushed production to maximise profits.
According to police, the factory had received a bulk order for special high-decibel crackers for the Singaramma Thalli Jathra at Mallisala village in Jaggampeta mandal.
In violation of safety rules, the owners allegedly employed more workers than permitted and hurried the manufacturing process to complete the order before the festival scheduled for March 3, the SP said.
He said large quantities of explosive materials were brought from the magazine and stored inside the unit to speed up production.
During the process, a spark from one of the powerful crackers reportedly triggered a chain of explosions that rocked the entire area, he said.
He said the arrested accused would face stringent legal action and that steps were being taken to seize their properties. The district administration has also been instructed to prevent any transactions related to the accused’s assets.
Authorities have warned owners of other fireworks units in the district of strict action if safety regulations are violated.
TNT TMR
Leave a Reply