Firecracker vendors take to discreet home deliveries in Delhi amid licence hassle, stock shortage

In areas Jama Masjid, Sadar Bazaar, Greater Kailash and Lajpat Nagar, vendors said they are doing “quick” and small deliveries

NEW DELHI: In a workaround to applying for green firecracker licences—vendors citing hassle for a narrow three-day sale window—many have opted to deliver firecrackers door to door, through phone calls and WhatsApp groups, HT found in checks at multiple locations.

Firecracker sales in Delhi-NCR are allowed only from October 18 to 20. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

In areas Jama Masjid, Sadar Bazaar, Greater Kailash and Lajpat Nagar, vendors said they are doing “quick” and small deliveries.

At Chandni Chowk, HT spotted vendors openly selling firecrackers over the past two days, despite the sale being allowed only from October 18. A vendor, aged around 19 years, said, “We don’t display the big crackers, keep them hidden under the table — if anyone asks, we sell it discreetly. I keep extra packets for regular customers who want it delivered. I have friends who deliver it.”

Commenting on online sale of firecrackers, including on WhatsApp, the owner of Majestic Fireworks at the Jama Masjid market, said the licence he holds permits him to sell only at his shop. “We will start selling from October 18. I have received calls for advance booking and online sales, but I told them to come and buy from the shop. Many are taking advance orders. Most of us don’t have time to get licence in such limited time. They will start delivering from October 18 to regular customers who want phuljhadi and other small crackers,” the owner said.

The seller said vendors won’t sell online or through online marketplaces but are doing deliveries through WhatsApp and other social media platforms.

A vendor at the Shakti Nagar market said, “I don’t have the licence to sell and with such a short notice, it will be difficult to collect all the required documents and apply for it”.

The vendor showed HT a pdf he uses as an item list that he forwards to customers to receive orders. By Friday, he said he had already run out of most of his inventory.

At Greater Kailash I, a vendor said, “The form filling and applying for a temporary licence will take a lot of time. People in Lajpat Nagar have already sold all their firecrackers, including green, without licence. I’m also doing the same. We take numbers from people and do deliveries on cycle or e-rickshaw.“

While online portals did not have quick delivery options for Delhi, groups on social media apps, such as Telegram, were found widely used.

As per the Supreme Court guidelines, only NEERI-certified green crackers with QR codes can be sold, and only from October 18 to 20, via licensed vendors at designated locations. Police said no online or deliveries of firecrackers are allowed.

A senior police officer from the Crime Branch said, “The sale or use of firecrackers purchased online will attract strict legal action. We have deployed patrolling and enforcement teams to ensure compliance of this. Sadly, most of this is because people get crackers from outside Delhi where we have no enforcement power.”

To counter illegal delivery sales, police said they have formed on-ground inspection teams and patrolling squads.

At Sarojini Nagar, a vendor said, “Even if I get a licence today, where are the crackers? Wholesalers have very limited supply and big vendors are buying everything. So, I’m selling everything I can. My staff is doing small deliveries on scooter. I don’t care about enforcement. This is my job.”