The Cabinet has directed the state executive committee of the State Disaster Management Authority to declare the Mundathikkode fireworks storage explosion in Thrissur as a special disaster. The Cabinet meeting was held online under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
A judicial inquiry has been announced into the explosion. Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair will head the single-member judicial commission.
An immediate financial assistance of ₹14 lakh will be provided to the dependents of those who died in the explosion—₹4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and ₹10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). For the injured, the amount admissible under SDRF norms will be provided, along with an additional ₹2 lakh as immediate assistance from the CMDRF.
The government will bear the cost of treatment for the injured in government and private hospitals for up to six months. The required funds will be sanctioned from the CMDRF based on the District Collector’s recommendation. In addition, eligible assistance under SDRF will also be provided for medical expenses.
If treatment is required beyond six months, expenses at recommended private hospitals will be covered from the CMDRF, based on the decision of a medical board.
To facilitate search and rescue operations, walls of private properties were demolished, and paddy fields in the area were filled. The actual cost of restoring these to their original condition will be sanctioned from the SDRF based on the District Collector’s recommendation.
Instructions have been issued to the State Executive Committee of the State Disaster Management Authority to formulate a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for burial of bodies and collection of samples for DNA matching in connection with the disaster.
The earlier decision to allocate ₹50 lakh from the SDRF for emergency response has been ratified. The District Collector has been authorised to utilise this amount for expenses related to disaster response.
The District Collector has also been tasked with urgently assessing the extent of damage to nearby houses caused by the explosion and submitting a report to facilitate allocation of funds from the SDRF.
