No firecracker manufacturing during peak heat hours: Erode Collector

CHENNAI: In light of the prevailing heatwave conditions, the District Collector of Erode has imposed time-based restrictions on the manufacturing of firecrackers. 

The Collector's order directs all firecracker manufacturing and hazardous chemical mixing work to be avoided during the peak heat hours of 11 am to 3 pm, according to a Maalaimalar report. 

Erode district has been experiencing intense summer heat over the past two months. The highest temperature recorded on Thursday (April 30) was 106°F, with hot and humid winds blowing during the day. 

Meanwhile, District Collector S Kandasamy has warned of strict action against manufacturing unit owners who violate this order.

Similar timing restrictions have also been imposed on firecracker manufacturing in key hubs such as Virudhunagar, Sattur and Sivakasi. A Daily Thanthi report earlier said that officials from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) had directed factory operators to complete chemical mixing work between 6 am and 10 am, to minimise risks amid the extreme heat conditions.

Standard guidelines have also been issued to prevent accidents in explosives manufacturing factories, firecracker storage and sales units, and pharmaceutical companies in Tamil Nadu, as per reports. 

The safety restrictions come days after the Virudhunagar firecracker factory blast, which killed 23 people on April 19, and the deadly blast on April 21 at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Kerala's Thrissur that claimed 13 lives.