Kolkata, Aug 29 (KNN) The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged the firecracker manufacturers to produce green crackers.

Speaking at the Trinamool Congress Chattra Parishad’s foundation day, she said, “Try to manufacture green crackers that may help you earn less but will save lives. We have given emphasis on green crackers. Before our government came to power there were no laws to control illegal brick kilns and sand mining. We have introduced laws to check them.”

The chief minister’s statement came in the backdrop of a blast that took place at a firecracker manufacturing unit in North 24-Parganas’ Duttapukur where at least nine people were killed.

As per reports, the Chief Minister after the Egra blast incident had formed a committee led by the Chief Secretary for identifying land parcels across the state for developing clusters of green firecrackers. The committee of officials from several government departments has been asked to identify vested land situated at a fair distance from the human habitat where a cluster of green cracker manufacturing units can be set up.

“We have set up green cracker factories and formulated several policies involving sand policy, stone theft, brick factories, ferry, and selling of green crackers,” she said.

Chief Minister Banerjee has already instructed the state government to identify the hurdles in the manufacture of green crackers and accordingly take measures to remove them so that the state becomes self-reliant in this and stop import from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu.  (KNN Bureau)