Anakapalli police tighten surveillance

Anakapalli: Following the unfortunate incident that took place at a firecrackers manufacturing factory in Kakinada district, Anakapalli district police launched a special drive to place a check on illegal manufacturing and storing of firecrackers.

Based on the instructions of Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta, the district police have been carrying out preliminary inspections in firecracker manufacturing and storage centres across the district. District Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha issued orders for inspections in all subdivisions of the district.

Raids are conducted on licensed and unauthorised units across the district under the supervision of Anakapalli, Narsipatnam and Parawada DSPs, in coordination with the house officers of all stations, fire and revenue departments. Officials paid focus during the inspections on whether there are valid manufacturing/storage licenses as per Explosive Rules and PESO Regulations.

Precautions were taken not to store explosives in sheds beyond the permitted limit. The mixing, filling, packing and drying sections were checked to ensure that they were within the prescribed distance as per the norms.

The spark-proof systems and earthing facilities were verified to prevent electrical short circuits. The department officials observed several aspects during the inspection, including involvement of any child labour, training given to the workers, type of material worn at work, etc.

Safety standards such as availability of fire extinguishers, exit points and ban on smoking were checked.

SP Tuhin Sinha directed the officials to take immediate legal action if any fireworks are made or stored illegally anywhere in the district.

The SP said that these checks are being carried out in advance to prevent any untoward incidents and asked the people to inform the police if they come across any person storing explosives illegally.