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In Gurugram, firecracker traders say business is brisk, booming
Ashok Kumar, who runs Starlight Crackers, said daily sales in the market have gone up to ₹3 lakh, an indication that Gadoli is slowly nudging out Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar, which, until the cracker ban in recent years, reigned as the “cracker market” of the National Capital Region
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Under the garb of selling relatively less polluting “green” firecrackers -- the only kind that is permitted in Haryana -- the wholesale market in Gadoli, about 6km from Gurugram, was doing a brisk business selling regular firecrackers, which are banned across the National Capital Region, a spot check by HT on Friday found.
Traders in Gadoli said, despite the Haryana government banning regular crackers this festive season, and Delhi banning firecrackers altogether, their business has doubled as compared to previous years, with people flocking from the Capital and even places such as Meerut and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Ashok Kumar, who runs Starlight Crackers, said daily sales in the market have gone up to ₹3 lakh, an indication that Gadoli is slowly nudging out Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar, which, until the cracker ban in recent years, reigned as the “cracker market” of the National Capital Region.
“People do not even check the logo to see if they are the ‘green’ variety; they are only interested in colours and high decibels -- the louder and more colourful the cracker, the more takers we get,” said Kumar.
Kapil Saini, another shopkeeper, said green crackers are expensive as compared to the traditional ones.
“When we tell customers that, they demand traditional crackers, and we have to keep all varieties so we don’t lose customers. Small-time shopkeepers from rural areas carry ‘green cracker’ stickers with them and paste them on polluting ones to evade police action,” he said.
Small shopkeepers from Delhi and Noida are also making bulk purchases of rockets and different kinds of bombs for retail sales in their areas, the shopkeepers said.
“We have also hired delivery persons who travel by trains, bus and private vehicles to deliver firecrackers to a distance of 150 kilometres but only for those who pay an advance of ₹5,000 and place orders for at least ₹30,000,” said Karamveer Yadav, another shopkeeper.
In Pataudi, Sohna and Farrurkhnagar shopkeepers have set up cracker shops offering 20% discounts.
Ramesh Kumar, a shopkeeper from Sohna, said the market has suddenly seen a spurt in business and the volume of firecrackers sold this year is more than double as compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic Diwali season . “The craze is back and adding to it is the upcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan (on October 23 at the T20 World Cup),” he said.
Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, said the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) on October 10 has banned the manufacture, sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers, excluding green crackers, until further notice. Yadav said so far they have recovered over 500kg of traditional crackers from Gadoli, Farrukhnagar and Pataudi. “The raids are ongoing and we are sending teams from the areas, we are receiving tip-offs,” he said.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP), CM’s flying squad, Inderjeet Yadav, said shopkeepers have stocked up green cracker stickers to pass off polluting ones as environmentally safe. “We arrested a leading wholesaler on Wednesday for selling banned crackers and for keeping green cracker stickers. He revealed that green crackers do not have high margins unlike traditional crackers,” he said.
