Hyd blast triggers crackdown — but will it last?

Fireworks factories, LPG shops sealed as administration steps up campaign

HYDERABAD:

The tragic November 15 explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in Hyderabad, which claimed 10 lives, has jolted the administration into action, triggering a crackdown on hazardous businesses operating in residential areas.

At a high-level meeting on Monday, Hyderabad Division Commissioner Fayaz Hussain Abbasi and DIG Tariq Razzaq Dharejo ordered sealing of all fireworks factories and illegal LPG shops in the entire division. They stressed that LPG outlets must be relocated away from populated neighbourhoods to prevent further disasters.

"The LPG season has begun, and the recent blast at a licensed firecracker facility was extremely tragic," Commissioner Abbasi said, according to an official statement. He instructed all deputy commissioners to submit fresh surveys of fireworks factories and LPG outlets without delay.

Officials informed the meeting that nine fireworks factories had been operating in Hyderabad, six of them licensed. In the wake of the deadly blast, however, all units have now been sealed, irrespective of licensing status.

DIG Dharejo instructed SSPs across the nine districts in the police range to shut down all unlawfully operating firecracker factories. He also ordered police to register FIRs against traders running illegal LPG shops, particularly those using dangerous decanting pumps.

DCs of Matiari, Jamshoro, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sujawal, Thatta, Dadu, and Badin told the meeting that no fireworks factories were operating in their respective districts. However, they confirmed that action against illegal LPG shops would begin immediately.

The Special Branch briefed officials that 167 LPG shops are currently operating in Hyderabad alone - all of which must be brought under strict enforcement of safety protocols. Authorities were directed to launch a wide-ranging crackdown, register cases under Section 144, and strengthen fire and emergency response mechanisms in densely populated urban pockets.

An integrated coordination group comprising key stakeholders will also be formed to oversee enforcement and safety planning.

The renewed administrative vigilance has revived memories of a similar tragedy just last year. Following the May 30, 2024 LPG shop explosion in Pareetabad, which killed 27 people, mostly children, authorities had undertaken a sweeping clampdown on LPG outlets. The sudden pressure had made LPG scarce for weeks, even for domestic consumers.

Although detailed SOPs were drafted and announced, weak enforcement soon allowed many outlets to resume business, including the illegal sale of LPG for public transport and private vehicles - a practice expressly prohibited by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).

OGRA has already delegated powers to DCs to enforce safety rules and act against non-compliant outlets, but implementation has remained inconsistent.

The latest directives reflect an all-too-familiar pattern: administrative action triggered only by tragedy, followed by gradual complacency. Whether this renewed push against illegal and unsafe businesses will result in lasting reforms remains to be seen.