Chandigarh: Draw of lots for cracker licences on Oct 21

As of Thursday, 1,700 applications have been received for 96 licences, with October 18 being the last date to apply

The UT administration will hold a draw of lots for cracker licences at Bal Bhawan, Sector 23, on October 21.

For the third straight year, the Chandigarh administration has decided to allow only eco-friendly green crackers during the upcoming festivals of Diwali and Gurpurb. (HT Photo)

The administration had issued a public notice on October 14, inviting applications for licences after designating 11 sites for the sale of firecrackers.

The administration had called for online applications, with the application fee set at ₹500. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) developed a portal to facilitate online applications.

After the draw, the list of successful vendors will also be published on the portal.

As of Thursday, 1,700 applications have been received for 96 licences, with October 18 being the last date to apply.

According to the administration, the online system, introduced last year, is aimed at bringing transparency to the allocation of stalls, ensuring that people do not have to visit offices in person.

For the third straight year, the UT administration has decided to allow only eco-friendly green crackers during the upcoming festivals of Diwali and Gurpurb.

The use of green crackers will be allowed only within designated time limits from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali (October 31), and from 4 am to 5 am and 9 pm to 10 pm on Gurpurb (November 15).