Ahmedabad: Days after the blast at an illegal firecracker factory in Ramol claimed 10 lives, police across Gujarat intensified inspections of firecracker units, leading to the seizure of illegal stock worth Rs 39.6 crore from two godowns at Matoda Patiya in Ahmedabad on Monday.Changodar police raided two adjoining warehouses operating under the name Ambika Trade Link on the Modasar-Amathapura Road in Sanand taluka. During the search, police found 65,954 cartons containing various types of firecrackers stored on the premises and seized the entire stock.Police said the warehouses had basic firefighting equipment, including extinguishers, sand buckets, and water pipes near the entrance. However, fire safety arrangements were found inadequate for the massive quantity of explosives stored there.Investigators also found no water sprinkler system, while additional cartons were stacked under a tin shed outside the warehouses, further increasing the risk of a fire or explosion.Police arrested licence holder Amit Modi, 55, a resident of Satyagrah-Chhavni in Satellite, and warehouse manager Kishan Patel, 29, of Bavla. They were booked for negligence endangering human life and negligent handling of explosive substances under the BNS, along with relevant provisions of the Explosives Act, 1884, and the Explosives Rules, 2008.Police have begun examining the firm’s legal status, the validity of its licence, approved storage capacity, sanctioned building plans and compliance with mandatory safety norms. Officials said additional charges may be invoked depending on the outcome of the investigation.The action comes amid a statewide drive by police and district authorities to inspect firecracker manufacturing units and storage facilities following the Ramol tragedy, in which an explosion at an illegal factory killed 10 persons, including three children, on Saturday.Officials added that similar inspections are underway across Gujarat to identify illegal firecracker factories and storage facilities, with enforcement agencies focused on preventing a repeat of the Ramol blast.
