Pranav B Prem

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), taking suo motu cognizance of repeated fatal explosions at firecracker manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district, has issued firm directives mandating the immediate closure of units operating without compliance to legal and safety norms. The bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and Expert Member Dr. Satyagopal Korlapati, convened on July 22, 2025, and underscored the urgency of enforcing strict safety standards in the region.

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The tribunal was acting upon several newspaper reports highlighting a string of deadly blasts in Virudhunagar and nearby areas such as Sivakasi. These included news items from The Times of India, India Today, The Hindu, NDTV.com, and The Daily Hunt, which reported multiple fatalities, including women workers, in various factory and storage unit explosions between October 2023 and July 2025.

Despite previous orders from the NGT, the bench observed that many units continued to operate in clear violation of safety protocols. The tribunal was informed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) that six firecracker manufacturing units were found operating in contravention of regulations and had since been sealed. Furthermore, eight other units were found shut during inspection and were subsequently issued show-cause notices. A media report dated July 14, 2025, cited by the Tribunal noted that over 200 units had voluntarily closed down in what appeared to be an effort to avoid inspection.

The Tribunal, responding to the findings presented in the reports submitted by the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), and the District Collector of Virudhunagar, expressed concern over the lack of continued oversight. The bench emphasized that “it would be appropriate for the authorities to order closure of such units” that deny access to inspecting teams, highlighting the gravity of the situation.

To ensure wider accountability and effective regulatory oversight, the Tribunal also impleaded the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government, Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department, and Mr. T. Kannan, General Secretary of the Indian Fireworks Manufacturing Association (TIFMA), as parties to the proceedings.

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The bench has now ordered the District Collector of Virudhunagar and all relevant authorities to launch a renewed special inspection drive without delay. Any unit found violating safety and environmental norms or refusing inspection is to be shut down immediately. Even units currently operating in compliance with legal requirements are to be inspected regularly and issued necessary advisories to maintain ongoing adherence to statutory norms. The matter is posted for further hearing on July 29, 2025, with directions for submission of a status report regarding the action taken pursuant to the ongoing inspection drive.

Cause Title: Tribunal on its own motion SUO MOTU based on the news item in The Times of India dt: 10.10.2023 titled, “TN cracker unit blast kills 10, owner arrested” And Central Pollution Control Board and Ors. [And other connected matters]

Case No: Original Application No.29 of 2024(SZ) [With other connected matters]

Coram: Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, Dr. Satyagopal Korlapati [Expert Member]