Admn yet to decide location, rent for firecracker market

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 15

Five days after conducting a draw of lots for setting up a temporary firecracker market ahead of Diwali, the district administration is yet to provide location and announce the rent amount to winners of the draw.

The draw of lots for awarding licenses for temporary retail firecracker market was held on October 10 and a total of 10 applicants were selected from among 1,201, who took part in it.

An allottee, on anonymity, said Diwali was less than two week away but the administration was yet to hand over space. He added that it would take a couple of days more to get frames ready to install kiosks and make other arrangements.

Officials of the administration stated that the Amritsar Improvement Trust had been given the responsibility to allocate the space, while ensuring safety norms. Trust Superintendent Engineer Rajiv Sekhri said directions had been received and temporary possession letters would be handed over to the allottees on Wednesday. He said like every year the site would be situated in the New Amritsar area.

He said as per norms, each allottee would have to pay over Rs35,000 per kiosk. This would be 10 percent more than the last year’s rent which was nearly Rs30,000.

As per the norms, there would be 10-feet distance between each kiosk and there would be no structure within an area of 160 feet around the market, he said.

Besides, the Trust would write to the Municipal Corporation to station a fire tender at the temporary market to promptly deal with any untoward incident.