Contrary to the government’s plan of banning firecrackers, traders in the Capital seem unfazed and are gearing up for the festive season.
Preparations are in full swing at the city’s oldest cracker markets in Sadar Bazar and Paiwalan Bazar opposite Jama Masjid. Hundreds of traders have begun the work of setting up temporary cracker stalls while the shops which are stationed there throughout the year have increased their supply.
The Hindu visited these two markets and found that although permanent license holders who have designated spaces were not found to be selling Chinese crackers, several hawkers, however, are already on the job. Although denying initially, Mahesh an assistant in one such shop in Sadar Bazar said that the demand for Chinese crackers peaks just a day or two before Diwali.
When asked about the influx of Chinese crackers in these markets, one of the permanent license holders in Jama Masjid area said on condition of anonymity, “There are importers of Chinese crackers which come in huge quantities just about a fortnight before Diwali. Since storing these crackers is illegal, the aim for them remains to sell them off within a day or night. This goes on until the Diwali day.”
Not just that, The Hindu also found many cracker packs missing the mandatory mention of its chemical composition or the sound level. As per the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the maximum sound level notified is 125 dB (a) or 145 decibel (dB).
“If boxes of crackers do not mention the chemical composition then it is clearly a violation of the Explosive Rules 2008 Act that says every manufacturer shall on the box of each fire crackers mention details of its chemical content, sound level and that it satisfies requirements laid down by the chief controller,” said Praveen Khandelwal, president, Confederation of All India Traders’ Association.
