Karwar: Following Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's announcement of a ban on bursting firecrackers during Ganesh festivals, weddings, and political events due to a recent firecracker accident at a warehouse in Attibele, Bangalore, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma has directed all District Commissioners in the state to implement precautionary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In response to these directives, extensive raids were carried out by officials from the police, fire brigade, and revenue department across Uttara Kannada district to locate firecracker stockists and inspect their inventory.

During the raids, teams of officers verified whether the necessary permissions had been obtained from the competent authority for the collection, transportation, and sale of firecrackers.

In Karwar, a team led by Tehsildar NF Naronha, Tehsildar Tippeswamy in Bhatkal, Tehsildar Shankar Gaudi in Mundgod, and Tehsildar Satish Gowda in Kumta, conducted inspections and implemented necessary measures, issuing appropriate directives.

It has come to light that a resident named Joshi from Nandanagadda in Karwar possessed two licenses. However, an unsafe storage of approximately 3 lakhs worth of valuable firecrackers was found near his residence. The team confiscated the firecrackers, and due to a lack of a suitable storage facility, they were loaded into a vehicle and sent back to the factory in Hubballi from where they were sourced.

While rumors persist about firecracker manufacturing in Gangavali near Gokarna, the authorities have not confirmed this information.

Responding to media inquiries, Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police Vishnuvardhan stated that joint inspections, in collaboration with the revenue department and fire brigade, were being conducted in districts where fireworks are manufactured, stocked, and sold. Additionally, magazines storing explosives for mining purposes are also being inspected. If any illegalities are discovered, appropriate legal action will be taken, he added.