Indore News: Crackdown Against Illegal Firecracker Supply; Raids At 5 Tehsils, Godowns Demolished; 1 Arrested & 3 Detained

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a massive crackdown, Indore district administration shut down several godowns and shops found selling and storing firecrackers illegally on Wednesday.

According to officials, the raided units were located in Sanwer, Hatod, Rau, Bicholi Hapsi and Depalpur. Around 200kg gunpowder was recovered from Hatod and Depalpur, they added.

During the drive, authorities also demolished a godown in Sanwer. Police also arrested one person and detained three others during the raids. 

The crackdown comes a day after a massive fire ravaged a warehouse which was functioning as an illegal firecracker shop.

While the drive was launched on the directions of District Collector Shivam Verma, the operation was led by ADM Roshan Roy.

Hatod: Illegal factory running in farmhouse

During the checking drive in Hatod, around 100kg of gunpowder was found stored illegally. The godown was constructed illegally and demolished by authorities. Officials also seized two loading vehicles from the spot.  

SDM Hatod Vinod Rathore said the illegal firecracker factory was running in a farmhouse to evade the authorities. A cowshed was also built and eight cows were being kept there to mislead the authorities. As per reports, the owner of the farmhouse Rahul Agrawal was arrested in connection with the case and an FIR was registered. The shed was also razed.

Rathore said the farmhouse was located in Sonagir village of Hatod tehsil and is spread over an area of ​​approximately 10,000 square feet. 

The factory had been illegally manufacturing firecrackers for approximately 15 days. The others taken into custody were: Vijay (26), Sagar (34) and Ranjit.

Sanwer: Godown demolished

SDM Sanwer Ghanshyam Dhangar said that the local administration took swift action in Panch Dehriya village where Rahul had allegedly constructed a temporary shed on government land. The shed was being used for illegally storing firecrackers and demolished during the drive, he added. 

Bicholi Hapsi: Fireworks factory sealed

The team from the revenue department conducted a surprise inspection and took strict action against the fireworks factory operational in Rajdhara village of Bicholi Hapsi Tehsil. The owner of the fireworks unit, Akram Mansoori, was present at the site during the inspection. The investigation revealed that the fireworks unit was violating prescribed safety standards. The firecrackers were being dried in an unsafe, open area. The entire unit was sealed.

Rau: Shop sealed

A team of officials sealed two units in the Rau area on Wednesday. A shop involved in illegal sale of firecrackers was sealed and another production unit was shut down over irregularities in safety regulations.

Depalpur: Cracker factory sealed

A team of officials took action against a firecracker manufacturing unit which was functioning without a valid licence. The unit was located in Jalodiya Par village of the Depalpur area and was owned by one Aditya Raj, son of Bahadur Singh Chavda. The team also seized 13 sacks of illegal firecrackers and approximately five sacks (100 kg) of raw materials used in manufacturing firecrackers.

Shivam Verma, District Collector, Indore, said, ‘No kind of illegal activity or compromise with public safety will be tolerated in the district.

Strict legal action will be taken against anyone who illegally occupies government land or stores hazardous materials.”