Ahmedabad: The deadly explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Mahamadpura near Ramol, which claimed nine lives on Saturday, has turned the spotlight on a larger question: How do illegal units continue to manufacture firecrackers without the licences required to buy or handle explosives?Officials from the district administration, civic body, and the city police are now facing questions over how such units continued to operate on the city’s outskirts despite stricter scrutiny following major fire tragedies in Gujarat.
Ramol cracker unit fire
Officials said manufacturing firecrackers requires an explosives licence, a fire no-objection certificate (NOC) and several other statutory approvals. Yet illegal units are allegedly operating from temporary sheds and makeshift structures on the city’s outskirts without these clearances.The Mahamadpura unit was allegedly functioning from an illegal structure and had no fire safety arrangements, officials said.
RAF personnel rushed to the factory unit to carry out rescue operations
The incident comes a little over a year after the Deesa firecracker factory blaze in April 2025 that claimed 21 lives. Despite that tragedy and the subsequent tightening of fire safety norms, no sustained drive was launched against illegal firecracker manufacturing units operating around Ahmedabad, sources said.According to sources, open land along the eastern stretch of the SP Ring Road has seen temporary sheds come up where firecrackers are allegedly manufactured without licences. Labourers are reportedly brought in from Gujarat and neighbouring states to work at these units. Sources also alleged that some units employ minors, although police have not confirmed whether children were working at the Mahamadpura factory.
The blast affected crops growing in fields nearby
Officials explained that obtaining an explosives licence involves scrutiny at multiple levels.Under Section 6B of the Explosives Act 1884, manufacturing or selling firecrackers requires a permanent licence issued by the Ahmedabad additional district magistrate. The 60-day approval process is stringent, requiring mandatory clearances from the local police, circle officer, mamlatdar, deputy SP, sub-divisional magistrate, and the superintendent of police following a mandatory physical site inspection.
Thick smoke seen rising from kilometres away after the explosion at a firecracker factory in Ramol
Applicants must submit proof of age, residence, premises ownership or lease, site maps, a gumasta licence, and a validated fire NOC. Despite these rigorous statutory requirements, illegal manufacturing hubs continue to thrive across Ahmedabad.The latest tragedy has also shifted attention to another question: if the Mahamadpura unit did not possess the required licences, how did it procure the explosive material needed to manufacture firecrackers?
Mehul Dodiya, accused in Ramol cracker unit fire
Authorities are also facing questions over why no action was taken against the allegedly illegal structure despite claims that it had been operating for a considerable period. Investigators are now expected to examine both the source of the explosives and possible lapses in enforcement.Residents have also pointed to a growing number of temporary commercial structures, including restaurants, along the SP Ring Road, saying many continue to operate without approvals despite repeated complaints.
