No licences will mean ‘dark Diwali’ for us, say Sadar Bazar fireworks traders
NEW DELHI: The news of Delhi police not issuing licences to any firecracker sellers, other than those selling ‘green crackers’ has upset traders in the national capital’s largest wholesale market Sadar Bazar.
The traders said they will observe a ‘dark Diwali’ this year.
According to a 2017 affidavit to the top court and explanations offered by the country’s explosives regulator (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation or Peso), green firecrackers refers to products that do not contain metals such as barium, aluminium and iron which release toxic gases – but such products have not yet been manufactured for sale.
The traders said they were clueless about what can be done with the stock of firecrackers that they procured last year. “The traders of Sadar Bazar will have to bear a huge loss. Last year they issued temporary licences to around 23 traders here, after which each of them had procured firecrackers worth at least Rs 5 lakh. However, all that stock will be wasted as Delhi police revoked the licences. Now with the Delhi police stating that they will not issue any fresh licences, we are clueless as to what to do with our old stock,” Narendra Gupta, head of Sadar Bazar firework association, said.
Gupta said that either the traders will ‘secretly’ sell their stocks on the outskirts of the capital or they will sell them to shops in neighbouring states. “They are left with no other options but to resort to just these two means to dispose their stock. It’s dangerous to keep flammable things in storehouses for so long,” he said.
The traders also said that they will now monitor what the government does to curb ‘other sources of pollution’. “If they think that only crackers are causing pollution, then they are wrong. There are several other sources of pollution and we will now monitor what the government does to curb them,” said Gupta, adding the traders will not hold any protest because it would amount to ‘contempt’ of Supreme Court’s order.
Traders at Jama Masjid too criticised the move. “My shop was locked the whole of last year. We have been dealing in fireworks for decades and suddenly the business has gone for a toss,” said SC Jain, a trader.
There are only two shops that have permanent licences in Sadar Bazar while around 24 shopkeepers every year get temporary permits to sell crackers during the festive season. At Jama Masjid, there are 10 oldtime shops that have permanent licences while at least 40-50 get temporary permits.