With marriage season in full swing, the sale of firecrackers has continued unchecked across Delhi despite a ban, which had been briefly lifted for Diwali. An HT spot check found widespread violations of the regulations across various hubs in the city.
On October 15, the Supreme Court had permitted the sale and purchase of green crackers approved by National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to be sold by licensed vendors in Delhi “only for three days”. The relaxation was only for the “period specified”, the court had said. The bursting firecrackers too was restricted to the day before and day of Diwali between 6 am to 7am and 8pm to 10pm. At the time, HT had reported on the violations of the apex court’s order on sale, purchase and bursting of crackers all across Delhi.
During spot visits across three days, nearly two weeks on, in the narrow and busy lane in front of Jama Masjid Gate no.3, in Old Delhi, HT found multiple shops selling firecrackers. The shelves were bursting with various kinds and sizes of crackers, from flower pots to rockets. While all carried the NEERI tags, it was not immediately clear if these were authentic.
Speaking to HT, a courier who works in the market, said, “The ban was lifted after Diwali and these shops have remained open since then.” He, as well as dozens of locals whom HT spoke to said they weren’t aware of the restriction on the sale period.
One firecracker seller claimed that there were no restrictions on the sale of firecrackers and that he opens his shop every day, including Sunday, from 9am to 8pm. “After November 1, due to wedding season, the sales have increased a bit,” said the owner of Majestic Fire Works Co. “These are used in various wedding celebrations, and not everyone waits for the last moment to shop for them. After Diwali the sales had slowed down a bit, but people were still coming.”
At another narrow and dimly lit shop, the trader said he had a limited stock, but from next week, more crackers would be available. “Presently, I have skyrockets only. The packet of 30 skyrockets costs around ₹500, then 60 and 130 ones are priced at ₹900 and ₹3,000, respectively. The fountain ones and other firecrackers will be available from next week,” said the seller.
“We deliver at home also, once the buyer places the order, I send them the scanner and then get them delivered through a porter. The delivery charges have to be paid by the buyer only, I only charge for crackers,” he added.
Responding to the development, Sunil Mittal, the secretary of the Firecrackers Traders Association of Delhi, said that licensed vendors had sold their stocks in the three-day window provided by the Supreme Court during Diwali.
“But it’s wedding season and it’s difficult to control the public,” he added. “We can’t stop the public from buying from nearby areas. But, in Delhi, the sales are 100% stopped.”
A senior police officer, not wanting to be named, said that the ban is being enforced and beat officers are keeping a check. “The teams are working on the ground to enforce the ban and whenever a complaint is received, legal action is taken,” the officer said.
Additional commissioner of police Sanjay Tyagi, the Delhi public relations officer, refused to comment on the matter.
Marriage season in swing
The period between November 1 and December 14 this year is considered to be auspicious for marriages and an estimated 4.6 million weddings are set to take place across the country, according to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and citizen groups have said the sound of firecrackers can be heard across Delhi during various celebrations. On Monday, for instance, firecrackers were heard in Delhi after the Indian women’s cricket team won the World Cup.
“After Diwali, the environment was silent, but now again in the past three-four days we have started to hear noises again,” said BS Vohra, who heads the East Delhi RWA joint front.
In Safdarjung Enclave, RWA president Pankaj Aggarwal said firecrackers can be heard as early as 5 or 6am.
“Nobody listens to us, many say there’s no ban and that they are only bursting green crackers,” Aggarwal added.
Residents of Greater Kailash complained of an increase in the bursting of firecrackers over the past couple of days.