Noida residents flout SC order, burst firecrackers openly

Noida: Flouting a ban on traditional crackers across the national capital region, residents of Noida burst crackers on Diwali, which was celebrated on October 24

Noida: Flouting a ban on traditional crackers across the national capital region, residents of Noida burst crackers on Diwali, which was celebrated on October 24. Several videos also surfaced on social media showing people enjoying fireworks across the city.

Noida, India- October 25, 2022: People burst firecrackers on Diwali at Sector 19, in Noida, India, on Tuesday, October 25, 2022. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

According to a Supreme Court order, the sale and use of traditional firecrackers is completely banned in the NCR. While the Uttar Pradesh government did not impose a blanket ban on green crackers like neighbouring Delhi, the Commission for Air Quality Management on September 13 this year ordered that the use of green crackers (certified by Petroleum & Explosive Safety Organisation) will be banned in NCR if the Air Quality Index reading of the region crosses 200 (poor). To be sure, on October 24, Noida recorded an AQI reading of 305 (very poor).

Since no Gautam Budh Nagar trader applied for a green cracker licence, and no crackers were approved as green by any agency in the city, authorities suspect that residents only used traditional crackers this year.

Joint commissioner of police (law and order) Ravi Shankar Chhabi confirmed that nobody had applied for green cracker licences in Gautam Budh Nagar. He added that at least two people had been arrested before Diwali for the illegal storage and sale of traditional crackers.

Between October 16 and 24, Noida police registered 14 cases wherein 22 people were arrested for illegal storage and sale of crackers. There were eight cases registered in central Noida, five cases in Greater Noida and one case from the Noida area, in all of which FIRs were filed under the Explosives Act. Of the total incidents, just three were reported on October 18 and 19. All other 11 cases were reported in the last three days between October 22 and 24.

“Most of these are small sellers and the quantity recovered from them were small amounts. On interrogation, we came to know that they were getting the crackers from wholesalers in other rural districts of the state where these are not banned. The demand for these crackers was higher this time since there were hardly any festivities in the last two years due to Covid. This year, there was more enthusiasm among people that can be seen in the higher demand for crackers,” said Chhabi.

A spot check by HT found that though crackers were not readily available, small quantities were on sale in small village shops, especially at stores selling diyas, lanterns and other puja essentials. Local store owners said that there was hardly any sale of crackers till Friday, except for a few orders for Karwa Chauth and the India vs Pakistan cricket match on Sunday, a day before Diwali. However, more shops started stocking them from Saturday onwards.

Narrow bylanes in urban villages in Noida such as Chauda, Nithari and Nevada turned into festive shopping hubs with hundreds of shoppers flocking stalls selling crackers outside shops.

“There were so many shops selling colourful puja items that only those looking for crackers would be able to spot them. We had just kept a couple of packets here. If someone seemed like a genuine customer, I noted their request and got it for them. Many other shops here sold crackers,” said a shop owner in Sector 22, requesting anonymity.

He said that while these crackers were not available in wholesale in NCR, they could be obtained from other UP districts, where there was no ban, and crackers were easily and legally available. He added that there was a low demand of crackers over the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this year the demand for crackers was much higher.

“The usual bulk cracker market does not exist anymore, and we don’t order large stock like before from south India. Since firecrackers are not readily available, our customers are also not very particular about brand and quality like before,” said another trader from Shahadra village in Sector 142.

He said that they charge customers 20-25% over the MRP, which is a common practice since the Supreme Court imposed a ban on traditional crackers three years ago. “There were more sales this year but in relatively smaller quantities,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to Praveen Kumar, regional officer, UPPCB Noida, there has not been a single cracker-related complaint this year so far from Noida.