2 owners of firecrackers unit hit by blast and fire in Harda arrested; another man detained
Harda/Bhopal (PTI): Two owners of the firecrackers factory in Madhya Pradesh's Harda town, where an explosion and subsequent blaze killed 11 people and injured 174 others, have been arrested by the police, officials said.
They were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other charges, after an FIR was filed against them on Tuesday evening, they said.
Another person was detained in connection with the incident that took place on Tuesday in the Bairagarh locality on Magardha Road on the outskirts of Harda town, approximately 150km from the state capital Bhopal.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will meet the injured persons and families of the deceased in Harda on Wednesday, an official said.
The two factory owners - identified as Rajesh Agrawal and Somesh Agrawal - were arrested on Tuesday evening from Sarangpur in Rajgarh district, while one more person named Rafiq Khan was detained, Harda Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kanchan told reporters.
These accused were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), he said.
Khan was detained for questioning, the SP said without providing further details about him. As per police sources, Khan is said to be the manager of the factory.
The cause of the explosion was not yet known, officials said.
The incident prompted the state government to seek Army's helicopters for evacuation.
Out of the 174 people rescued from the incident site, 34 were referred to Bhopal and Hoshangabad, while 140 were undergoing treatment in the district hospital, Narmadapuram Commissioner Pawan Sharma told reporters on Tuesday.
One death was reported from among the people who were referred, and 10 deaths were reported from the district hospital, he said.
"The fire has been doused and debris is being removed from the site. Investigation into the matter is underway," he added.
The sound of the explosion was heard 25 kilometres away and eyewitnesses said body parts were scattered at a distance from the site and vehicles on a nearby road were hit by splinters. CM Yadav visited Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal on Tuesday to meet the injured persons.
The Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a three-member committee to be headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to conduct a detailed probe into the explosion at the firecrackers unit. The other members of the high-powered committee are - Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Intelligence, Jaideep Prasad and Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary RK Mehra.
The panel is also mandated to fix the responsibility of those officials who were supposed to prevent such incidents.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
