Bhiwadi: A factory explosion occurred after gunpowder exploded, killing 7 workers.

News Topical, Digital Desk :A massive fire broke out after a loud explosion at an illegally operated firecracker factory in Bhiwadi's Khushkheda Industrial Area on Monday (February 16) morning. More than a dozen workers were working in the factory at the time of the accident. The explosion of gunpowder damaged the entire building. Seven workers were burned to death on the spot. Four others were seriously burned and have been referred to Delhi for treatment

All the workers who died in the accident are said to be from Motihari and Champaran districts of Bihar. According to information, these workers had come here in search of employment and were living and working within the factory premises. Accommodation, food, and sleeping arrangements were made within the factory premises.

An illegal factory was operating on a plot allotted for the textile industry.

It is reported that the industrial plot where this factory was operating was allotted for the textile industry in 2005. It is alleged that the owner leased it out about two years ago, after which illegal firecracker manufacturing operations began there. This activity had been ongoing for a long time, despite the fact that firecracker manufacturing is not permitted in the industrial area.

The family's complaint states that the factory lacked adequate safety measures for the workers. There were no firefighting equipment or emergency response systems in place. At the time of the accident, the workers had no way to escape.

The deceased Mintu Kumar was married a year ago.

According to the family of Mintu Kumar, who died in the accident, he had married a year ago and was about to return home soon. The family says that the lives of laborers who came here for employment were lost due to negligence and illegal activities.

Based on a complaint from the deceased Mintu's brother, a case has been registered against four individuals, including factory owner Rajendra Kumar, a resident of Ghaziabad , Uttar Pradesh . Hemant Kumar, a resident of Shahjahanpur in the Kotputli-Behror area, contractor Ajit, a resident of Khushkheda, and company supervisor Abhinandan, a resident of Motihari, Bihar, are also named. The complaint calls this gross negligence and demands strict action.

The administration and public representatives assured an investigation.

Rajasthan Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma stated that administrative officials and public representatives arrived at the scene following the incident. Officials have investigated the entire matter and assured strict action against the culprits. The illegal operation of the factory, the neglect of safety standards, and the role of the monitoring system are also being investigated.

Questions raised on illegal activities in industrial areas

This accident has raised serious questions about the illegal activities and monitoring systems in industrial areas. Local demands are growing for regular inspections of industrial land use and strict enforcement of safety standards to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The burning alive of seven workers at an illegal firecracker factory in the Khuskheda Industrial Area is not the result of an accident, but a crime born of collusion, negligence, and corruption. Accountability must be fixed for everyone, from the factory operator to the responsible officers. The same system that takes action against those selling firecrackers on the sidewalks failed to notice the factory of death operating in a prohibited area for years. This isn't blindness, but complicity in crime.

Officials who turned a blind eye to the misuse of allocations, the administration failed to monitor them, and the public representatives remained silent. Their inaction has sent poor laborers into the fire. Now, delaying investigations only adds insult to injury. Only immediate, strict action, criminal charges against the guilty, property seizures, and exemplary punishment can prevent future tragedies. Otherwise, each subsequent outbreak will further expose the rot in the system.

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