Firecracker warehouse sealed in Khanna

The development comes days after the Sadar police raided the same warehouse on October 29 and recovered a large quantity of firecrackers. A case was registered against its owner, Sahibdin, a resident of Ikolaha village, who was subsequently released on bail

A firecracker warehouse in Ikolaha village of Khanna has been sealed after the district administration found that its owner had obtained a licence to store fireworks without securing a mandatory no objection certificate (NOC) from the police. Deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain ordered the cancellation of the licence and immediate sealing of the premises after the irregularity came to light.

Authorities probing how the accused obtained licence without having police clearance. (HT Photo)

Acting on the directions, a team led by sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Swati Tiwana, accompanied by Khanna police personnel, reached King Enterprises’ warehouse on Narayangarh Road and sealed it. Firecrackers worth lakhs of rupees were reportedly stored inside the premises.

The development comes days after the Sadar police raided the same warehouse on October 29 and recovered a large quantity of firecrackers. A case was registered against its owner, Sahibdin, a resident of Ikolaha village, who was subsequently released on bail.

The latest action has raised questions over how the owner managed to secure a firecracker storage licence from the Ludhiana district administration despite not having obtained a police NOC.

SDM Swati Tiwana said the administration received information that firecrackers were still stored on the premises, even though the owner’s licence had been cancelled. An administrative team, accompanied by police personnel, subsequently inspected and sealed the warehouse.

SSP Darpan Ahluwalia confirmed that a case had been registered against Sahibdin at Sadar police station and a substantial quantity of firecrackers had been recovered during the raid. Clarifying that the police department had not issued any NOC to the warehouse owner, the SSP said it was being looked into how did the trader manage to obtain the licence.