Cracker sale begins in Chandigarh, on till Monday

With just two days to go for Diwali, firecracker markets across the city are witnessing heavy rush of customers. The sale of cracker, which began today, will continue till Monday. The administration has allowed the sale and use of only green firecrackers this year too.

According to officials, the UT Administration has issued 96 temporary licences for the sale of green firecrackers at 12 sites across the city through a draw of lots held on September 10.

A total of 4,539 applications were received, but 96 were issued the licence for setting up stalls at 12 sites – Dassehra ground in Sector 43 (20 stalls); Dassehra ground near RBI Colony, Sector 30 (five stalls); at a spot in front of Gujarat Bhawan, Sector 24 (six stalls); the ground near the fire station office in Manimajra (12 stalls); the Sector 46 ground adjoining the old rehri market (11 stalls); the ground behind Nanaksar Gurdwara, Sector 28 (five stalls); the subzi mandi ground near Ryan International Public School, Sector 49 (seven stalls); open space in Sector 33-C (five stalls); the Ramlila ground near Community Centre, Sector 40 (five stalls); the sabzi mandi ground in Ram Darbar (10 stalls); the sabzi mandi ground in Sector 29 (five stalls) and the ground adjoining a temple in Sector 37-C (five stalls).

The highest number of applications were received for the open ground in Sector 46. A total of 858 people had applied for the site, followed by 850 application for Sector 43. The lowest number of applications were received for the Sector 30 ground.

The licence holders have given an undertaking that they will sell only green crackers, certified by the CSIR-NEERI, and comply with all orders and guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The permitted green crackers were developed by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

Each vendor has been charged Rs 15,000 as GST, and fire brigade teams have been deployed at all sites to ensure safety. Despite these arrangements, there were reports of illegal firecracker sale in various colonies and villages. To tackle this, the administration has formed special monitoring teams to check unauthorised sales and seize banned firecrackers.

On Diwali night, residents will be allowed to burst firecrackers only during a two-hour window from 8 pm to 10 pm, in line with pollution control guidelines.

City residents can purchase crackers only from these approved locations, as online sale is strictly prohibited.

Officials said the city’s pollution levels are expected to remain under control this Diwali. The recent spell of prolonged rainfall in early October has helped clear the air. Additionally, stubble burning cases in Punjab have decreased compared to previous years.