Vetlapalem blast: 100 kg raw material stored illegally, says SIT

Principal Secretary to Municipal Administration and Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar on Wednesday said that the blast at the firecracker unit in which 28 workers died at Vetlapalem village in Kakinada district on February 28, was caused by the improper storage of 100 kg raw material, and the engagement of more than 38 workers by the firecracker unit owner, violating the prescribed permission of the licence. Three workers survived the blast with injuries.

The two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) is headed by Mr. Suresh Kumar. Inspector General of Police R.K. Ravi Krishna of EAGLE (Elite Anti-Narcotic Group of Law Enforcement) is also part of the team.

Accompanied by Kakinada District Joint Collector Apoorva Bharat and SP Bindu Madhav, the SIT members inspected the blast site on Wednesday. Later they met two of the survivors at Vetlapalem village and inquired with them about the blast.

Speaking to the media after the inquiry, Mr. Suresh Kumar said that officials from the police, fire services, revenue, labour and factories departments were also questioned. 

“The preliminary probe reveals that the firecracker unit owner stored 100 kg of raw material, as against the permissible quantity of 10 kg. We are investigating all the factors that might have contributed to the blast,” said Mr. Suresh Kumar.

He further added that the investigation would also look into the implementation of existing safety policies at firecracker units. A detailed study would be done to suggest further measures to prevent future blasts. The SIT members said that they would inspect the operations of firecracker units surrounding the Vetlapalem firecracker unit. Peddapuram Revenue Divisional Officer N. Sridhar along with other officials were present.