Kolkata, Apr 2 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed grief over the deaths of eight persons in a gas cylinder explosion at Pathar Pratima in South 24 Parganas district.

Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, the CM said that the owner of the factory, who was arrested early on Wednesday, was a license holder, but the person involved the Gujarat blast not have the permit to operate such a unit.

Also Read | Ladki Bahin Yojana: When Will Eligible Women Beneficiaries Receive INR 2100 per Month? Ajit Pawar Gives Update.

Police arrested Chandrakanta Banik, the prime accused in the case and owner of the firecrackers manufacturing unit situated a few metres away from the house where the explosion took place late Monday night.

"I feel so bad that members of the same family died in the blast. What was the need to keep the gas cylinder near the firecrackers? He was a license holder, but in the incident in Gujarat..." she said.

Also Read | Resham Kaur Dies: Sufi Singer Hans Raj Hans' Wife Passes Away at 62 Following Prolonged Illness.

In Gujarat, at least 21 persons, including children and women, were killed, while six others injured on Tuesday after a powerful blast and blaze ripped through a godown where firecrackers were allegedly stored and manufactured illegally in Banaskantha district.

Referring to the Pathar Pratima incident, the CM said, "You should have kept the gas cylinders safely. We must learn a lesson from it. I'll appeal to all to take all precautionary measures to stay safe and ensure that such mishaps are not repeated."

She added, "Many people do this (incidents of fire) to get money from insurance during this time (January to February)."

Meanwhile, Banerjee said she would inaugurate the skywalk at Kalighat on April 14 and the Jagannath Temple in Digha at the end of the ongoing month.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)