Diwali up in smoke, say traders facing losses after cracker ban

new delhi: Traders and shopkeepers in Delhi said their Diwali had gone up in smoke after the ban on all kinds of firecrackers and that they will face huge losses as they had already stocked up on crackers worth lakhs after getting the requisite licences from the Delhi Police.

The traders and shopkeepers in Jama Masjid and Sadar Bazar areas, two of the biggest firecracker markets in the national capital, said the stock was meant for a brisk sale on Diwali, Chhath, Gurupurab and the coming wedding season.

"Police have stopped us from opening the shops we had stocked with hundreds of kilograms of firecrackers. This is a seasonal item and will be worthless if not sold in the next 1-2 months," said a firecracker trader in the Jama Masjid area.

The traders said temporary licences were issued by authorities for up to 650 kg of firecrackers but normally they purchase 400-500 kg in view of safety and demand in the market. The permanent firecracker licensees can stock up to 1,000 kg or more, they said.

Millennium Post had earlier reported that of the total 260 applications for licences, 168 were issued licences.

"I have no idea what to do with the stock of my firecrackers, maybe I will distribute them among people. There is a ban on sale of firecrackers but not on its distribution," Hardeep Chabra, the general secretary of Sadar Bazar firecrackers traders association, said. Chabra said firecracker traders have been staging a dharna in Sadar Bazar against the ban.

A meeting with Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal to seek a solution to this problem has also been planned, he said.