Bhopal, India, October 24: Authorities in Bhopal have banned the manufacture, sale and use of carbide guns and noisy improvised firecrackers after several children suffered serious eye injuries while playing with the devices, officials said on Thursday.
A Prohibitory Order issued under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Defence Code, 2023, bars individuals and traders in the Madhya Pradesh capital from making, storing, selling or purchasing carbide guns — locally modified firecrackers made using explosive materials in iron, steel or PVC pipes.
“The sale, distribution or display of any type of illegal prohibited firecracker, fireworks, or modified firecrackers (carbide guns) that produce excessive noise will be completely prohibited,” the order from the Bhopal Collector and District Magistrate said. Local officials, including sub-divisional magistrates and police officers, have been directed to monitor strict compliance with the ban.
Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said the government was closely tracking the condition of children injured by carbide guns and had ordered a probe into how the dangerous devices entered the market.
“We are monitoring the condition of the children suffering eye injuries,” Shukla told reporters. “Those who manufactured and supplied such firecrackers and equipment to the market, causing harm to children, will be investigated and strict action will be taken.”
He called the sale of such devices “irresponsible behaviour” and said district collectors had been instructed to identify the supply chain behind the banned products.
Shukla added that an advisory had already been issued against the use of such modified barrels, and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had appealed to the public to avoid using illegal firecrackers during the festive season. The order follows a series of recent incidents in which children in Bhopal sustained eye injuries while experimenting with makeshift carbide guns, often used as sound-making devices during celebrations.
