After reaching here to take a first hand account of the dead and injured in the firecracker blast, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered an immediate state-wide crackdown on all illegal fire cracker manufacturing units operating from congested areas.
He directed the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to take immediate steps for closure of such illegal units and also take precautionary measures to ensure that such unfortunate mishaps do no occur in future. Talking to reporters after meeting some of the victims in the hospital and visiting the site of the Wednesday’s tragic blast, which claimed 23 lives and left 20 injured, Capt Amarinder said the government will not allow anyone to carry on such illegal activities in densely populated areas and thereby putting the lives and properties of the residents at risk. He also met the families of those killed in the blast and assured them of complete support and adequate compensation for the losses suffered by them on account of damage to their properties and commercial establishments. He directed the DC Gurdaspur, to complete the damage assessment at the earliest and ensure the release of compensation to the affected persons soon.
