Illegal sale of crackers goes on

Amritsar, October 17

Registration of a case against Amritsar Club yesterday for bursting firecrackers has brought to the fore the fact that illegal sale of crackers was going on even before the district administration issued licences for retail sale of crackers.

Mohan Singh, a city resident, said, “Now and then, we notice bursting of crackers belie the claims of the authorities of complete ban on their sales before issuing of licences.”

He said shops in markets had secretly stored crackers in small quantities. Now, it will be an onerous task for the authorities to check their sale, he added.

Traders said high profit lured people to this illegal business.

Some of the traders procured illegally manufactured crackers, which came cheap as such units did not pay any kind of tax, they added.

Pardeep Singh of Dashmesh Nagar said small-time traders had been openly displayed crackers in front of their shops in his area for the past couple of days.

Pawan Kumar, a resident of Sandhu colony, said shopkeepers were selling crackers displayed on small stools outside their shops.

Meanwhile, Civil Lines police station registered a case against the management of Amritsar Club for violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which restricted the bursting of crackers from 06:30 pm to 09:30 pm on Diwali. — TNS

Licences

• Registration of a case against Amritsar Club on Monday for bursting firecrackers has brought to the fore the fact that illegal sale of crackers was going on even before the district administration issued licences for retail sale of crackers.