Despite ban, sale of harmful crackers goes unchecked

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, November 10

A temporary retail firecracker market has started functioning at New Amritsar colony in the city. The stalls in the market will sell only green crackers. But besides green crackers, harmful crackers too are being sold secretly in the market.

Traders on condition of anonymity said the final decision of the court on the sale of harmful crackers came a bit late or when people had purchased stocks of crackers and now they would try to clear their stocks this season. Crackers made illegally in local areas would prove to be a hindrance in the way of imposing a curb on the use of toxic crackers.

Green crackers on sale are free from barium salt, compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead, strontium and chromate which emit innocuous gases.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Parminder Singh Bhandal said the police had been keeping a vigil to check the sale of the prohibited crackers and their illegal manufacturing. Several cases were filed, especially at the Gate Hakima police station.

Harish Dhawan, a cracker seller, said only green crackers were being sold at the 10 kiosks installed after due permission from the district administration. Green crackers can be identified by the distinctive green colour logo of CSIR-NEERI, PESO and a Quick Response (QR) code printed on the boxes of the crackers.

This time 1,292 people took part in the draw of lots, conducted by the district administration, to select 10 persons for selling crackers in the retail market. Each of them paid Rs 41,500 to set up a stall for a brief period not extending beyond five days. Dhawan said the stalls recorded a negligible sale during the first two days as heavy rain dented the sale of crackers on the second day of trading on Friday.

Environmentalists said people, especially children and elderly people, would not face breathing problems on the night of Diwali.

Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said the time for bursting green firecrackers had been fixed from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali night. He said the sale of non-green crackers was strictly prohibited in the district and if a person was found selling the toxic crackers would be strictly punished.