Ahmedabad, July 19 (IANS) The explosion that tore through a firecracker manufacturing unit on Ramol-Gatrad Road in Ahmedabad on Saturday afternoon has emerged as the culmination of a long history of regulatory action, an earlier fatal accident, alleged illegal operations and repeated safety violations, according to the Gujarat Police investigation.
The blast at the unit, operating under the name ‘New Gujarat Fire Works’ on Survey No. 629/1/2/3 in the limits of Vastral village, killed nine people and left six others seriously injured. The victims included three children.
Police have alleged that the factory was operating illegally despite its licence having expired and earlier recommendations to shut it down.
The explosion occurred at around 3:45 p.m. at a field near the canal behind the Rapid Action Force (RAF) camp within the jurisdiction of Ramol Police Station. The force of the blast was so severe that it was heard up to five kilometres away.
It flattened the sheds where firecrackers were being manufactured, shattered windows at nearby industrial units and even disabled CCTV cameras installed at a fabrication factory about 500 metres away across the canal.
Workers at neighbouring factories ran out after the shockwave rattled their premises. RAF personnel stationed nearby were among the first responders, reaching the site immediately after hearing the explosion and beginning rescue operations before fire brigade teams arrived.
Together with Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services personnel (AFES) and police, they pulled victims from the debris and shifted the injured to L.G. Hospital and Civil Hospital.
The fire department deployed a Mini Fighter, two 20-kilolitre water bowsers, two Rapid Intervention Vehicles and an ambulance to the scene.
The blaze was eventually brought under control, after which cooling operations continued while forensic experts examined the site.
The impact of the explosion made identification of several victims difficult. Nine victims were taken to L.G. Hospital. Four were declared dead on arrival, while four others, who had sustained approximately 95 per cent burns, later succumbed during treatment.
One injured woman remains under treatment and is reported to be stable. Six people were taken to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where one person died, and five continue to receive treatment in the Burns Ward of the Trauma Centre.
The deceased were identified as Ramila Charel, Rinku Charel, Shivani Charel, Ravina Charel and Viral Charel, all residents of Itadi village in Dahod district’s Sanjeli taluka; Usha Damor of Malekpur village in Singvad taluka, Dahod district; Savita Damor; Asrarali Saiyed of Kapadvanj; and Asaruddin Kazi of Bhalej in Anand district.
Those undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital include Ajay Damor, Payal Damor, Bharat Charel, Suresh Charel and Govind Damor, all of whom are from Dahod and Panchmahal districts.
Police investigations have revealed that most of the workers employed at the factory had been brought from Sanjeli in Dahod district.
“They had been engaged to manufacture firecrackers after the unit received orders for the upcoming Ganesh festival,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said.
The investigation has also brought into focus the history of the factory and its operators. Police records show that on October 1, 2013, a licence was issued in the name of Ramila Dodia for a firecracker manufacturing unit in Vastral.
Less than a year later, on July 30, 2014, a blast at the same location claimed one life. Ramol Police registered a criminal case under the Indian Penal Code in connection with that incident.
According to family members of the 2014 victim, a 14-year-old child labourer named Vijay Chunara was killed in the explosion. They alleged that within two months of the accident, the factory resumed operations.
On August 4, 2020, a fresh licence for the unit was obtained in the name of Ramila’s son, Mehul Dodia. The licence was renewed periodically and remained valid until March 4, 2026.
However, following the firecracker factory blast in Deesa last year, inspections were carried out across Gujarat.
Police said the Vastral unit was found to have construction that did not conform to the approved plan, leading to a recommendation for cancellation of the licence.
Another inspection and site panchnama were conducted on March 23 this year, which again recommended cancellation. Officials said the factory was found closed during periodic inspections.
Police now allege that the operators resumed manufacturing about 10 to 15 days before the latest explosion, taking advantage of the heavy deployment of police personnel for Rath Yatra security arrangements.
Firecrackers were allegedly being produced without any valid licence, fire safety approval or other mandatory permissions.
According to the Police Commissioner, the preliminary investigation indicates that sparks generated during the filling of firecrackers inside two or three small structures triggered the explosion.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and explosives experts collected evidence and samples immediately after the incident.
“Investigators found widespread violations at the site. Even if a licence had been valid, only 15 kilograms of explosives could legally have been stored, whereas officials found numerous sacks containing quantities far exceeding that limit. The factory had no permission whatsoever to operate,” Gahlaut said.
Ramol Police subsequently registered an FIR against Ramila, Mehul and their alleged partner Sadiq Saiyed under Sections 105, 287, 288 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 5(a) and 6 of the Explosive Substances Act, and Section 9(b) of the Explosives Act, 1884.
Police alleged that the three had rented the land and were operating the factory illegally as part of a criminal conspiracy for financial gain while disregarding mandatory safety norms and placing workers’ lives at risk.
Investigators have said that anyone else found responsible during the investigation will also be named as an accused.
Following the registration of the case, 15 separate teams from the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, the Local Crime Branch Units of Zones 5 and 8, and the Ramol Police surveillance squad were formed to trace the accused.
Ramila and Sadiq were apprehended within hours. Mehul, who police said was present at the factory when the blast occurred and was himself injured, fled the scene immediately after the explosion.
He was tracked down by the Crime Branch and arrested from the Sabarmati area on Sunday.
Police said Ramila suffered ruptured eardrums in the explosion. Investigators are also examining the role of the landowner, financiers and those who placed orders for the firecrackers.
During questioning, police learnt that some customers had paid advances ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs one lakh. The source of the explosives and the nature of the alleged partnership between Mehul Dodiya and Sadiq Saiyed are also under investigation.
“A similar firecracker manufacturing unit linked to Saiyed in Kheda district had also witnessed a recent blast, although no fatalities were reported there,” officials noted.
The Commissioner said the investigation would focus on ensuring that all evidence collected by the FSL and police is incorporated into the charge sheet at the earliest so that the case can proceed swiftly to trial.
He also indicated that police would ensure that the accused do not evade prosecution. The blast prompted a wider crackdown on illegal firecracker manufacturing units across Ahmedabad and neighbouring areas.
Joint teams of the city police, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Fire Department carried out overnight inspections and found two operational firecracker factories in agricultural fields in Gyaspur and Narol.
The factories were sealed, and their stock was seized and destroyed with water. Police said inspections are continuing in both city and rural areas, where several similar units are suspected to be operating.
The tragedy also prompted announcements of financial assistance from both the state and central governments.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced an ex gratia payment of Rs four lakh to the families of each deceased victim and Rs 50,000 for every injured person.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and announced assistance of Rs two lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
As investigators continue to examine forensic evidence and question the accused, the blast has exposed the alleged revival of a factory whose regulatory history stretches back more than a decade, ending in one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the city’s recent history.
–IANS
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