Teams formed to crack down on illegal production and sale of firecrackers in Gurugram

The development comes a day after six persons of a family, including a minor girl and a boy, sustained severe burn injuries after illegally stored firecrackers triggered an explosion at their home in Nakhrola village of Manesar on Wednesday afternoon

The district administration, police and the chief minister’s flying squad on Thursday said they have formed teams to crack down on the illegal manufacture and sale of firecrackers in Gurugram, and the teams will visit areas where firecrackers are suspected to be manufactured.

A view of a shop selling green firecrackers in Gadoali Village, Gurugram. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

The development comes a day after six persons of a family, including a minor girl and a boy, sustained severe burn injuries after illegally stored firecrackers triggered an explosion at their home in Nakhrola village of Manesar on Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said teams have also been formed to check the illegal sale of firecrackers and they are conducting raids based on tip-offs.

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.

“The order comes in view of various events occurring during winter months, which aggravate air pollution levels in Haryana. Bursting of firecrackers is an important event affecting the air quality as firecrackers release dangerous toxins, harmful chemicals and noxious gases. Only green or environmentally safe crackers are allowed and everything else is banned,” he said.

The station house officers (SHOs) have also been asked to keep regular checks in their respective areas and adopt a zero-tolerance policy against the storage and sale of firecrackers, said police.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said they have also enlisted the help of crime teams, apart from station-wise teams, to keep a check on ban violations. “Our teams are visiting areas where firecrackers are suspected to be manufactured and also shops that are allegedly selling the banned crackers. The teams have visited more than 20 areas in Manesar, Sector 10, and Sector 37, among others,” he said.

Sangwan said shops selling green crackers are also being checked to ensure they are not selling the banned varieties.

Police said they are taking a slew of measures, including special night checks at more than 20 spots, including borders connecting with national capital to stop the entry of illegal firecrackers into the city.

Yadav said they had found several shopkeepers selling banned firecrackers after which they had directed police and other agencies to conduct raids at all suspected locations on Wednesday. “A complete ban has been imposed on the manufacture, sale and use of all types of polluting firecrackers. The ban will be strictly enforced in the district. The district administration teams led by subdivisional magistrates will submit reports daily on the action taken,” said Yadav.

Suresh Panghal, assistant commissioner of police (Manesar), said all six persons who sustained burns in Wednesday’s incident are yet to record their statements based on which more raids would be conducted.

“All members of the family sustained injuries of a serious nature and we could not gather more details as yet; even their neighbours are not talking. We are looking into their suppliers and where all they delivered firecrackers before the explosion took place,” he said.

Panghal said a two-member forensic team visited the spot on Thursday and collected gunpowder and firecracker samples to check the contents and explosives used, and based on their report, further action will be taken against the family.