Lucknow: Despite several incidents of people losing their lives recently while working in illegal firecracker factories, a video showing children engaged in making firecrackers in Uttar Pradesh’s Zaidpur has surfaced online.
The camera showed several children making firecrackers without any safety measures in place in the Zaidpur area of Barabanki district.
With Diwali round the corner, shopkeepers have started increasing the stock of firecrackers as the demand for firecrackers has increased. In order to meet the damand, children have been put to task. The illegal despite all licenses having suspended after an explosion in Zaidpur in Barabanki two years ago while making crackers at Dharauli in Ramsanehighat, after which only 22 licenses were renewed after investigation.
Souces told News18 that out of the 22 renewed licenses, only 12 people have the license to both make and sell firecrackers. The rest have the license to only sell. Firecrackers are still made secretly at many places in Zaidpur. Also, the children who were caught on camera include those from the same family that had fallen victims to the infamous firecracker accident of 1996. The incident raises a big question mark on efficiency of the police and administration of Barabanki district.
Zaidpur Nagar Panchayat has the highest number of eight licensed fireworks shops. Four people of Zaidpur both have the license to make and sell crackers, while four people only have the license to sell. There is a warehouse to make firecrackers at a distance of two kilometers away from the population, but people involved in the business of firecrackers have engaged small innocent children in this work, risking their lives.
Speaking to News18 on the issue, SP Barabanki, Arvind Chaturvedi said, “There are clear guidelines for manufacturing and selling of firecrackers. There is a three-layer preparation where we first ensure that safety norms are followed. Then we see that only adults are involved in the process of manufacturing of fire crackers and no child labour or untrained staff is involved in the process. We also take care of the licensed stock and most importantly the place for sale of firecrackers as per the guidelines of the honorable court.”
“We have received some complaints from places under Zaidpur police station, and if the reports of kids being involved in the manufacturing process are found true then strict action will be taken. If they are not following the norms then all the firecrackers may be confiscated as well,” said Chaturvedi.
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