Firecracker tragedy raises safety concerns in Bengaluru during idol immersion procession

Following the tragic firecracker explosion during a Ganesh Chaturthi procession in Doddaballapur, which resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy and injuries to six others, officials have highlighted a persistent issue of celebratory carelessness and regulatory loopholes.

The Bengaluru City Police conceded that it is indeed tough for them to ensure crowd control and ensure smooth flow of traffic amidst Ganesha immersion processions.

DCP South Division, Lokesh B Jagalasar, said it is often seen that revellers or people celebrating cultural events carelessly burst firecrackers without concern for the safety of pedestrians, vehicles, or themselves. He explained that despite their best efforts to educate people, such acts of celebration are sometimes seen in their absence, which puts their own lives at risk. "Wherever such incidents are seen, we continue to take stringent actions," he added.

However, DCP Northeast Division, Sajeeth VJ, said that according to the Explosives Act, only the storage of permanent license holders is routinely checked by the police. If they receive complaints that firecrackers are being burst in public places, they take action. These firecrackers should be burst in a particular place, and the organisers should take precautionary measures by identifying a specific space for bursting them. He added, "We cannot completely ban crackers instead, we an put up some restrictions."

DCP Central Division, Akshay M Hakay, stated that dealers should obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department and accordingly maintain their godowns depending on the materials used in the crackers. However, he noted, "After the sale of the crackers, there is no safety it depends on how the end consumers use it." He also suggested that in the incident in question, a case should be filed against the manufacturers as well, because the skyrocket shots literally burst when lit. "In this case, it might have been a manufacturing defect. It's a public safety issue, and in this aspect, citizens should be self-aware."

Manjunath Gowda, a member of the Mahalakshmipuram Ganesha Utsava, said, "We have always had fire safety and have a strict policy against bursting firecrackers in our celebration areas especially on roads. The idea is to ward off the evil but while bursting crackers we should not bring upon the evil on ourselves and on the public."

Another organiser in the neighbourhood of Malleswaram Satish Kumar said bursting crackers is a new thing but if you go back they used to make sounds using bells and other gantas which is really a good practice and eco friendly as well but now it has become a trend and a competition has risen among the area organisers that who will burst more crackers. It's almost like a competition as to who will bust more which is unfair, he added.