Police officials step up vigil against illegal units
A day after the blast occurred in an illegal firecracker factory at Medivada village in Ravikamatham mandal in Visakhapatnam district on Sunday evening, the district police have stepped up the vigilance and enforcement on such illegal units.
In the blast on person, Ponagalla Nookaratnam (65), had died on the spot and another elderly woman was injured.
According to Superintendent of Police B. Krishna Rao, one person P. Sambasiva Rao, who is the son of the deceased, was arrested on Monday and further investigation is on.
In Visakhapatnam district, in areas such as Anakapalle (rural), Ravikamatham and Chodavaram, there are a number of illegal units, as well as licensed units. In the last 10 years, at least 20 persons were killed in such blasts occurring at illegal firecracker units and the worst was in March 2019, when five had died in a unit at Gullipalle village in Sabbavaram.
‘Wrong ratio’
Though the police are yet to come to a conclusion on how and why the blast had occurred at the unit in Ravikamatham, initial investigations suggest that it could be due to the wrong ratio in the mixing of sulphur and gunpowder.
The material was brought by Sambasiva Rao at around 6 p.m. to the unit and the blast occurred at around 6.45 p.m.
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