Nagpur: The recent explosion at Solar Group’s explosives manufacturing facility in Chakdoh-Bazargaon, which claimed the lives of a supervisor and a labourer, has once again drawn attention to the alarming series of fatal mishaps at explosive units across Nagpur district. Despite repeated tragedies, authorities have failed to enforce strict industrial safety norms, allowing negligence to persist.
In the past two years alone, 35 workers have lost their lives and more than 40 have been injured in factory explosions across Hingna, MIDC, Dhamna, Kotwalbardi, and Umred. Nagpur district houses over 50 companies involved in the production of explosives, gunpowder, and related materials, yet several of them allegedly operate without adequate safety gear, training, or preventive protocols for workers.
Timeline of Major Explosions (2023–2025):
- February 2025: Two killed, three severely injured in an explosion at Asian Fireworks, Kotwalbardi.
- April 2025: Seven workers died, seven injured in a blast at MMP Industries, Umred.
- June 13, 2024: Nine workers, including women, were killed in a gunpowder blast at Chamundi Explosives, Dhamna.
- December 17, 2023: Nine, including six women, died in an explosion at Solar Explosives, Bazargaon.
- August 12, 2023: Two workers killed at Economic Explosives.
- April 24, 2023: Four killed, three injured in a blast at Kataria Agro Company.
Allegations of Safety Neglect:
Families of the deceased have accused firms like Solar Explosives, Chamundi Explosives, Asian Fireworks, and MMP Industries of willful negligence. They claim companies only stage compliance with safety measures after a mishap, leaving workers vulnerable in one of the most dangerous industries.
Workers’ families allege that despite the hazardous nature of handling explosives, most units fail to provide basic safety equipment or proper training. “Authorities only act after lives are lost, but by then, the damage is irreversible,” said relatives of victims.
Authorities’ Role Questioned:
Repeated incidents have sparked public outrage, with questions being raised over why strict regulatory action has not followed despite dozens of deaths. Industrial safety experts stress that proactive inspections, mandatory safety audits, and accountability for management lapses are urgently required to prevent further loss of innocent lives.
With fatalities mounting and enforcement remaining weak, the cycle of negligence continues, leaving workers and their families to bear the brunt of tragedies in Nagpur’s explosives manufacturing belt.
