Ahmedabad: The firecracker factory in Mahemadpura, Ramol, where a blaze killed nine people on Saturday, had also witnessed a fire in 2014 in which a 14-year-old died, sources said. The unit has reportedly been operating from the same location for nearly 20 years.According to factory sources, Ramilaben Dodia, who was injured in Saturday’s fire, had earlier managed the unit. She and a person named Narendra initially ran the factory from rented premises with a valid licence. After the 2014 fire that killed the minor, the licence was cancelled, sources said.The factory, however, resumed operations after a fresh application was filed in the name of Ramilaben’s son, Mehul Dodia. A new licence was issued, allowing the unit to restart at the same site.An application was recently submitted to renew the licence issued in Mehul Dodia’s name. Police, however, filed a negative report, after which the renewal was rejected. Despite not having a valid licence, the factory continued to operate, sources said.AMC’s deputy estate officer Vinay Gupta said the disaster occurred on open land under Revenue Survey Number 630 of Vastral’s TP Scheme Number 416/A. “This is extremely tragic. Our investigation has revealed that only a makeshift structure had been set up there. The construction aspect does not fall under our jurisdiction in this disaster,” Gupta said.The revelations raise serious questions about how a unit with a fatal accident on record was allowed to resume under a new name, and how it kept functioning even after its licence renewal was rejected.
