Editorial: Fire in the sky

A few days before Deepavali, a fire accident took place during a Theyyam performance at a temple near Neeleswaram in Kerala, which left 154 people injured, eight of them seriously. Three people were arrested in connection with the accident that took place when firecrackers stored in the vicinity of the temple exploded. The case was registered under the Explosive Substance Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). As per the police, the firecrackers were burst inside the temple premises without permission, and the accident took place due to its careless handling and negligence of the accused.

The Kerala government has assured a comprehensive probe into the accident and said stringent measures would be taken to check the recurrence of similar incidents. The probe will cover all aspects including the granting of permission for the firework display, the storage of firecrackers in the previous years, and the reason for shifting the location of the firecracker storage. That such an accident has once again occurred in Kerala, points to the government's inability to enforce a uniform safety protocol, and to the indifference of organisers to the state's history, vis-a-vis cracker related mishaps.

Three decades ago, an explosion at the Malanada Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Temple in Kollam in 1990 claimed the lives of 26 people while injuring 67 people. Nine years later, a fire at Chamundi Kavu Temple in Aloor, Palakkad, resulted in eight fatalities. The accident transpired when firecrackers exploded as they were being prepared for the temple festival. A repeat of such accidents was seen in 2006 when an explosion took place in Thrissur, at the Paramekavu Devaswom's firework manufacturing unit. Seven individuals died in that episode which revealed major safety lapses at the production facilities. More recently in 2016, Kerala witnessed one of its most harrowing fire tragedies at the Puttingal Temple, Kollam, when firecrackers in the storehouse exploded, triggering a blaze that claimed 109 lives and injured 501.

The Kerala High Court, which took cognisance of the recurring episodes of firework-related mishaps, has issued a set of directives while hearing an application for permitting pyrotechnic displays at the Ernakulam’s Shiva Kshetram. These directives mandate that: the fireworks display should be carried out only using specific items permitted by the Court under the supervision of competent individuals holding a valid licence; the storerooms also need to be maintained 200 metres far from the site of the fireworks display; the pyrotechnics need to be be conducted under the supervision of Revenue, Fire Safety and Police officials; the display point of the fireworks must be barricaded on all directions at a distance of 100 metres prior to commencement of fireworks; and that people should not be permitted within the 100 metre cordoned off zone.

More often than not, the norms are flouted and caution is thrown to the wind. In small town Kerala, during temple festivals, the management committees end up cutting corners by hiring small-time, local fireworks vendors, who function as cottage industries sans safety protocols and operate on wafer thin margins. Young children and teenagers are often involved in the process of rigging the fireworks in the main display area, owing to the thrill factor. To top it off, most pyrotechnics take place at night, which amps up the risk factor, in the event of a stampede in dimly illuminated grounds. The bottom line is that the government must enforce safety norms as a non-negotiable while providing pyrotechnic permits to individuals or groups.