Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, has apologized to the people of Egra for the tragic blast at an illegal firecracker factory that claimed the lives of 12 individuals and caused numerous injuries. During her address to the community, she announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2.5 lakhs to the families of the deceased and offered a home guard job to one family member. Additionally, assistance of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to families affected by lightning-related deaths.
Banerjee expressed her government’s commitment to formulating a report within the next two weeks, under the guidance of the Chief Secretary, to establish a green firecracker cluster. She emphasized that the tragedy could have been prevented if the intelligence had functioned effectively.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that two individuals from the family of the primary accused, the owner of the illegal factory, have been arrested. She urged the villagers to promptly inform the local police if they come across any operational units of a similar nature.
The blast occurred on May 16 at an illegal firecracker factory in East Medinipur district, resulting in 12 fatalities and numerous injuries. The factory building collapsed due to the explosion. Despite a previous raid, seizure, and a filed case against the factory, its operations continued.
Banerjee distributed compensation cheques to the families of the victims and expressed her remorse for the incident, acknowledging that proper intelligence could have prevented the blast.