KOLKATA: An entire house was blown up at Kolaghat in West Bengal's East Midnapore district in an explosion where an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit was running.
However, there was no casualty as no one was there in the house at the time of the explosion, which happened Sunday night.
Eyewitnesses said that the explosion took place around 11 p.m. on Sunday and the intensity was such that the entire house was blown up in its impact. Some houses adjacent to it also developed cracks.
Several fire tenders rushed to the spot immediately and after a few hours of rigorous fire-fighting, the fire was brought under control on early Monday morning.
The local people have alleged that several such illegal firecracker factories are operating in the Kolaghat area and the police, despite knowing everything, have not taken any action. However, the district police officials have claimed that cops conduct regular raids in these illegal fire factories and this case, too they have started a thorough investigation.
Local people have claimed that the explosion proves that the cops have not learnt that lesson from the severe bomb blast at a similar illegal firecracker factory running from a residential house at Khadikul under Egra subdivision also in East Midnapore district which killed as many as nine persons in May last year.
The people have claimed that although soon after the May 2023 blast there were some administrative and police actions against the mushrooming illegal firecracker factories in the entire East Midnapore district, the administrative activities slowed down over time and the illegal units started mushrooming again.