Puttingal disaster caused by gross negligence: investigation report

Kollam: The chief controller of explosives, Sudarshan Kamal, in his investigation report stated that there were serious and extensive lapses on the part of Kollam district administration and the police which led to the Puttingal fireworks disaster. There was no coordination between the district administration and the temple committee, the report pointed out.

In all the previous probes conducted into the incident, Kerala police had come in for criticism. All the lapses found in the mishap have been listed in the report.

It was the excessive enthusiasm of the office-bearers of the temple that led to the mishap. The materials for the fireworks were stored without proper precautions. There was no arrangement in place for rescue operation in the event of a disaster, according to the report. The inaction of the tehsildar and police were also mentioned in the report. The report by the chief controller of explosives, who was instructed by the minister of state, Nirmala Sitaraman, is similar to that of the then Kerala Police chief T.P. Senkumar. The additional district magistrate (ADM) was also flayed in that report.

As many as 110 persons were killed and at least 400 injured in the worst ever pyrotechnic mishap in the state. A series of explosions had struck the crowded premises of Puttingal Devi temple in Paravur at 3.30 am leaving a trail of devastation on April 10. The blasts were triggered by burning shards of burst fireworks that fell on the storehouse of the fireworks.