An association of firecracker manufacturers with close ties to the Trinamool Congress has said the Mamata Banerjee government’s green fireworks cluster scheme is impractical as it only ensures land, not funds needed to set up units.
The Sara Bangla Atasbaji Unnayan Samiti pointed out the purported flaws in the scheme a day after an explosion had ripped through an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in South 24-Parganas.
The death toll from the blast at Patharpratima rose to eight, as Santana Banik succumbed to his injuries at SSKM Hospital in Calcutta on Tuesday. Three people are in critical condition.
The association also demanded the arrest of the local police station’s officer-in-charge for “negligence” in surveillance, which led to the blast.
“The state government only provides free land under the scheme, but setting up infrastructure requires an investment of ₹3-5 lakh, which is steep for many small-scale manufacturers,” said Babla Roy, chairman of the association. “As a result, many continue to operate illegal units, often with police complicity and little enforcement of safety measures.”
After the May 2023 explosion in Egra claimed many lives, the chief minister announced the formation of green fireworks clusters. A dedicated committee led by the chief secretary was set up to oversee the initiative, and in October last year, the state sanctioned three such clusters in South 24-Parganas, Hooghly and Murshidabad, under the West Bengal Green Firecracker Manufacturing, Storage, and Selling Scheme (WBGFMSS). But there have been few takers.
Despite these efforts, at least four explosions have occurred at illegal units since then, killing over a dozen people.
“Our aim was to prevent such accidents, but since May 2023, at least four more blasts have taken place,” Roy said. “The fireworks industry is unorganised and spread across the state, involving around 30 lakh people, most of whom are financially weak. The government is offering only free land, but who will pay to build the required infrastructure?”
“Those who invest ₹10,000 in manufacturing fireworks and make a profit of ₹5,000 cannot afford ₹3 lakh to build a proper unit. This gap is pushing us back and failing the scheme,” he said, adding that his organisation had sought full infrastructure support from the state.
“I have already spoken to the chief minister about this. She assured me that the proposal would likely be passed in the next cabinet meeting,” Roy claimed. “District magistrates have been asked to identify land for the clusters, so the scheme can be implemented from 2026.”
On the Patharpratima explosion, additional director-general (south Bengal) Supratim Sarkar admitted to a lack of surveillance but argued that house-to-house monitoring was not feasible.
“This is sheer irresponsibility. How did they stock so many fireworks at home?” Sarkar asked. “The explosion was caused by a stockpile of fireworks inside the house, leading to such a high number of deaths.”
Sarkar said the factory had been operational for 10 years, but he could not confirm the type of licence it had.
However, Roy categorically said the unit’s owner, Chandrakanta Banik, arrested on Tuesday, had a licence for “selling” fireworks, not manufacturing them.
Emphasising the need for public awareness, Sarkar said: “From now on, police will engage with factory owners and traders to ensure that firecracker units are built away from populated areas.”
Police records show Chandrakanta had been arrested in 2022 when 68kg of illegal fireworks were seized from him. But he was later granted bail.
On Tuesday, the police launched an investigation against Chandrakanta, along with Tushar Banik, for negligence in handling combustible and explosive materials, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and endangering life and safety under other relevant sections of the BNS and the West Bengal Fire Services Act. However, no charges have yet been filed under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.
A forensic team visited the blast site on Tuesday, collecting samples for examination. Local people alleged that the house where the blast had occurred was also being used for bomb-making, a suspicion strengthened by the recovery of several bundles of wire from the premises.
Reacting to allegations by Kushamay Bhandari, father-in-law of unit owner Banik, that local police had accepted “protection money,” ADG Sarkar said: “If a specific complaint is lodged, the role of local police officers will also be examined.”