‘Banned’ crackers ahitin markets
CHINESE CRACKERS Dangerous crackers selling in abundance in markets, traders say they are running out of stocks
NEW DELHI: Despite a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers made in China, pop-pops, match crackers, pulling fireworks and other such popular firecrackers continues to be available in abundance in Delhi markets.
When HT visited Chawri Bazar, Chandni Chowk, and Esplanade Road on Saturday, wholesalers denied having any Chinese crackers for sale. But retailers and street vendors claimed that one could still buy Chinese crackers as long they knew where to look.
Earlier this year, the Centre had banned imported Chinese firecrackers. The Delhi government too had vowed to implement the ban in totality.
On Saturday, HT’s search, however, told a different story.
At Esplanade Road, home to the main wholesale firecracker market in the area, firecrackers were spotted in abundance, but no Chinese crackers were visible. “Licensed stores in Delhi do not sell banned crackers,” said a wholesaler, RS Sharma. “We are Indians. Our sales should benefit our own economy and industries only,” he said.
Sagar Chauhan, another wholesaler, added that the ban on Chinese crackers had helped their profits. “Chinese crackers are cheaper as they are made with inexpensive and unsafe materials. The Indian brands are better, safer, and a little more expensive. We are afforded better profits,” he said.
The story, however, changed a couple of hundred feet from the Esplanade Road market.
The roads here are lined with street vendors openly peddling banned Chinese firecrackers. Delhi residents were also seen clamouring to get their hands on the coveted ‘pop-pops,’ and pulling strings.
One such vendor claimed that many wholesalers, who earlier denied having any of the banned products on stock, supplied the crackers to them.“This year the products are being sold covertly. We buy 2,000-2,500 boxes from them. We are their regular customers,” he said.
Some other vendors claimed that they had personally procured the goods, prior to the clampdown on imports. On Tuesday, the Delhi government had announced 11 inspection teams who would check the availability of imported firecrackers in the market. This came after an earlier statement from the government that conceptualized an action plan to ensure a safe and green Diwali.
The vendors claimed that they were flouting the ban in order to be able to cater to the high demand for such crackers among the Delhi consumers. “Sometimes even the 2,000-odd boxes we get, are not enough,” said a trader, who had run out of Chinese pop-pops by Saturday.
“. We had to place orders at least two or three months prior to the festive season. If I were to try and buy more stock now, I would have had to pay thrice the regular price,” he said.