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Manmeet Singh Gill
Tribune News Service
Batala, September 5
At least seven members of ‘Aatishbaj’ family as it was locally known for their business since the last four generations died in the high-intensity blasts at a firecracker factory in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar on Wednesday.
All were present in the factory at the time of the mishap. Three women of the family in the house adjacent to the factory were also injured. Now, no adult male member of the family is alive. Just children below the age of 14 years and women have survived.
Meanwhile, heart-rending scenes were witnessed at the cremation ground, where the seven cousin brothers were laid to rest. The deceased include Laddi and Raju, Vikramjit Singh and Amritpal Singh, Paramjit Singh and Onkar Singh and Rajinderpal Singh Raja.
The family had recently built a three-storeyed house behind the factory, which too collapsed due to the impact of the blasts. Three women were also injured. “Most of the children and women were still living in the old house as they were yet to shift to the new place,” said Kewal Singh, a relative of the deceased.
Some family friends claimed that Bawa Firecrackers, the brand name was known for making high-intensity firecrackers capable of producing loud noise. “They used to organise fireworks for all big religious events and marriages throughout Punjab,” said a neighbour.
He said, “They were getting ready for fireworks for “Babe da Viah”. They were in a rush to complete the order and maybe this led to the mishap.”
Moreover, the licence of the unit, which was on the name of one Jaspal Singh who died earlier, was not renewed after 2016. “And that licence too was for the storage of 25 pounds of fissile material,” said a district administration official.
Narrow escape for schoolchildren
Locals say a major mishap has been averted as the city’s largest school is in the vicinity of the factory. “The school got over at 2.30 pm and the road had just cleared before the mishap. Had the blast occurred a bit early, there would have been many more casualties,” said a gurdwara sewadar.
Give Rs 25 lakh each to deceased’s kin: Bajwa
Chandigarh: Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa has requested the Punjab Government to declare Rs 25 lakh each as ex gratia for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 10 lakh each to the injured. Seeking a government job for the kin of the deceased, he sought a thorough probe and disciplinary action against the erring officials. Bajwa has also requested the Prime Minister to grant some substantial amount as ex gratia for the next of kin of the deceased and compensation for the injured. TNS
No lessons learnt
The police administration often claims to have tightened the noose around illegal cracker manufacturing units and stockists, but the repeated incidents of blasts in such units over the years in Amritsar have raised many eyebrows:
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