Firecracker shop blasts spread panic
PEOPLE WERE in a state of panic following mysterious blasts in a cracker shop near Tarang crossing, under Goraknath police station, in the wee hours of Tuesday. The blasts, which took place one after the other, caused a fire at the shop and people ran for cover. Policemen and fire-fighters rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. The blast damaged the ceiling of the shop and caused cracks in walls of adjacent houses and shops.
PEOPLE WERE in a state of panic following mysterious blasts in a cracker shop near Tarang crossing, under Goraknath police station, in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The blasts, which took place one after the other, caused a fire at the shop and people ran for cover. Policemen and fire-fighters rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
The blast damaged the ceiling of the shop and caused cracks in walls of adjacent houses and shops. The incident took place around 1.30 am. The fire brigade took at least three hours to extinguish the flames. However, no casualty was reported in the blast.
Reacting to the incident, thousands of residents of the area blocked traffic at Tarang crossing on Tuesday morning.
They demanded shifting of the cracker shops from densely populated areas. Students of Saraswati Vidya Mandir, their teachers and local people shouted slogans against the district administration and were adamant that the shops be shifted immediately.
They said there was a school on the right side of the shop and residential flats on another side. Thus, a tragedy could take place at any time. They said the district administration should cancel the licence of Budhau Chacha, the owner of the shop. The agitation threw traffic out of gear for at least two hours.
District officials rushed to the spot and faced an angry mob. However, after repeated attempts, they managed to persuade the schoolchildren and teachers to remove the blockade.
