Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Under fire: On Tamil Nadu and the fireworks industry blasts

​Under fire: On Tamil Nadu and the fireworks industry blasts

The state must enforce compliance (अनुपालन) of regulations in the fireworks industry

An accident is, by definition, both unexpected and preventable (रोके जाने योग्य, निवारणीय). But the numerous fireworks industry blasts that dot the summer months with stunning (To make (someone) unconscious or dizzy; to shock or overwhelm (someone) with a strong emotional impact) regularity in the firecracker manufacturing belt of Tamil Nadu in Virudhunagar challenge this definition. A total of 26 people have died and 20 others injured in eight accidents that have occurred in the first six months of 2025. According to official data, 17 accidents were reported in fireworks units in the State in 2024 and claimed the lives of 52 people. Of these, 42 people died in 12 accidents in Virudhunagar, which has roughly 1,000 fireworks units and 3,000 cracker shops. In 2023, 79 workers were killed in 27 accidents in the State, including 28 workers in 15 accidents in Virudhunagar. In the latest episode, eight persons died and five others were injured in an explosion (विस्फोट) at a fireworks factory in Sattur, near Sivakasi this week. Preliminary reports said friction caused during the process of filling chemicals that are used to make special fireworks may have caused the explosion. Investigations are on to pinpoint (सटीक पहचान करना) the exact cause. But whatever the cause, there is unlikely to be any new learning from this kind of post mortem.

Temperatures in the rather dry, hot belt of Virudhunagar often soar unbearably (असहनीय) during the day. It is also common knowledge that firecracker units store chemicals that are highly inflammable (ज्वलनशील), and can ignite and burn easily when exposed to an ignition source such as a spark, flame, or high heat. And yet, unerringly (अचूक रूप से), the summer months, usually, have unfortunate accidents resulting in the death or the disability of people who are already vulnerable, socially and economically. While the laxity of manufacturers is condemnable (निंदनीय), there is also a big role for the state in regulating these fireworks units, since all of them require a licence from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization to function. The Explosives Rules, 2008, which govern fireworks units, specify that packages containing explosives shall not be allowed to remain in the sun or exposed to excessive heat, and all due precautions ought to be taken to prevent accidents by fire or explosion. Following the rules is essential to retaining the licence to operate and manufacture explosives. Clearly, here is a situation where the heft of the state can be utilised to ensure compliance, but a better way of handling it is to involve manufacturers in an effort to ensure there are no further accidents, no further lives lost as a result. Such cooperation has produced results in the past in curbing (घर्षण) the employment of child labourers in the industry. It will now have to be leveraged (The use of something to maximum advantage; power to influence a person or situation) to save precious lives. A preventable tragedy that repeats itself makes a farce of state regulation and enforcement.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Compliance (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनुपालन
English Meaning - The action or fact of obeying a wish or command; the state of conforming to a standard or rule.

2.Preventable (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रोके जाने योग्य, निवारणीय
English Meaning - Able to be prevented or avoided.

3.Explosion (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - विस्फोट
English Meaning - A violent bursting or expansion with a loud noise, as of a bomb or other explosive; a sudden, rapid, or great increase.

4.Pinpoint (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सटीक पहचान करना
English Meaning - To locate or identify exactly.

5.Unbearable (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असहनीय
English Meaning - Not able to be endured or tolerated.

6.Inflammable (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ज्वलनशील
English Meaning - Easily set on fire; flammable; (figuratively) easily excited or aroused to passion or anger.

7.Unerringly (Adverb)

Hindi Meaning - अचूक रूप से
English Meaning - Without making a mistake or being wrong.

8.Condemnable (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निंदनीय
English Meaning - Deserving strong disapproval; reprehensible.

9.Curb (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - नियंत्रण करना, रोक लगाना
English Meaning - To restrain or control (something undesirable).

10.Friction (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - घर्षण
English Meaning - The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another; conflict or animosity caused by a clash of wills, opinions, or temperaments.

11.Stun (Verb)

English Meaning - To make (someone) unconscious or dizzy; to shock or overwhelm (someone) with a strong emotional impact.

12.Leverage (Noun)

English Meaning - The use of something to maximum advantage; power to influence a person or situation.