Owners of cracker shops should put in place proper safety measures to prevent fire accidents, and could face the risk of losing their licence if they failed to do so, the district administration has warned.
Collector S.A. Raman on Saturday convened a meeting with owners of cracker shops. He told the owners that they should adhere to safety norms as mandated by the licenses. The licenses of shops that do not adhere to safety regulations would be cancelled, he said, according to a press release.
He asked the shop owners to extend their cooperation to revenue and police officials during inspections of their shops. He has warned of action against persons, who illegally stocked crackers in godowns.
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Mr. Raman also said that action would be taken on those who distribute poor quality crackers for Deepavali chit fund. The shops should stock only the permitted quantity of crackers. The outlets should have a separate entry and emergency exit points. They should stock the crackers only at permitted places, he said.
The staff of the shops and license holders should be aware of how to respond to emergencies. The owners should maintain a proper stock registry and produce the same to officials during inspections.
Crackers that produce noise above 125 decibels are not permitted to be sold. No gun powder or nitro compound should be stocked. The crackers should be kept in a place measuring between nine square metre and 25 square metre. All electrical equipment and cables should be safely covered.
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There should be a distance of 15 metres between shops selling crackers. All fire fighting equipment should be kept ready. He advised the shop owners to adopt all safety measures for a accident-free Deepavali, the release said.
P. Pakalavan, Superintendent of Police, Vellore, was present.