Kolkata: A day after an explosion occurred at an illegal firecracker factory in North 24 Parganas' Duttapukur area, resulting in at least nine deaths, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the police for their perceived inactivity while addressing a program on Monday.
"Some people are engaging in illegal activities, and the police are not taking any action. This cannot continue. We have conducted several meetings, and I will establish a green firecracker hub. This initiative will also provide employment opportunities," stated Mamata.
Adhikari: Remove Rathin Ghosh from ministry
Meanwhile, a group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs, after staging a walkout from the Assembly, visited Duttapukur. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was observed speaking with local residents.
"TMC minister Rathin Ghosh is implicated in this scam, and he should be removed from the ministry. Adequate support should be extended to the affected families. We have approached the Calcutta High Court, demanding an NIA probe into the matter," Adhikari asserted.
Coincidentally, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also visited the site and collected samples. One individual was apprehended by the Duttapukur police in connection with Sunday's explosion.
According to NIA sources, they intend to submit their report to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Duttapukur firecracker unit
On the other hand, due to the anger of local residents, another illegal firecracker unit was discovered on Monday afternoon in Duttapukur, near the area where the explosion occurred on Sunday morning.
"We were aware that an illegal firecracker unit was operational here, but we were unable to take action as even the police disregarded our complaints. We were told it was a storage facility for onions and potatoes, but today, after our persistent demands, the police had to break the lock," explained local residents.
As of the time of reporting, the illegal crackers were being removed from the storage facility and safely diffused by firefighters, with the materials being placed into trucks.
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