Licences of 10 fireworks units in the district have been temporarily suspended after officials found gross violations on their premises during a month-long audit conducted in Virudhunagar district.

Following several explosions that claimed the lives of daily wage earners, the TVK government had promised to take stock of the reasons for such incidents, officials said.

Industry Minister Keerthana had stated the government was concerned about the lives of the workers. Safety measures would be accorded top priority, and wherever there was negligence or violations, officials would not spare such units or remain mute spectators.

As a sequel, six teams comprising officials from multiple departments were formed with the primary task of conducting inspections and recording deficiencies in each unit. Be it PESO licence holders or other issues, the government decided to carry out a thorough check. There were about 1,200 units in Virudhunagar district, and around four lakh workers were directly employed in them, the officials added.

During the first phase, 206 units were identified for audit and in the last 30 days, officials found that 82 units had committed minor violations, while 12 fireworks units were found to be indulging in a series of violations. While the units were directed to give explanation for the minor errors or deficiencies, those found to have many violations would be temporarily suspended from operating.

Based on the explanation received from the units, the next course of action would be decided. Surveillance had been intensified and the workers were also sensitised to the challenges in the industry. The government had promised to offer training programmes on safety audit to workers and foreman in each of the licenced units at a recent meeting held in Sivakasi.

Published - July 11, 2026 07:00 pm IST