Buyers from Delhi, UP, Rajasthan flock to Gurugram village for banned firecrackers

The shopkeeper at Gadoli village near Gurugram said that he wanted to sell off his stock of firecrackers that has remain unsold for the last two years before the administration and the police start cracking down.

Despite a ban imposed by the Supreme Court (SC) last year, firecrackers are still available for sale in Gadoli, just 10km away from Gurugram. Though fewer shops have stocked these polluting crackers this year, a couple of them which opened for business on Monday witnessed a rush of buyers from as far as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The police have said they would start cracking down on such sellers from Tuesday.

A shop running from a warehouse in Gadoli near Gurugram was selling firecrackers at almost triple the usual price, on Monday, October 7, 2019, a day before the administration enforces the SC ban. (HT Photo)

Rishabh Jain, a student who had come with his friends from Rajasthan to buy firecrackers, said, “My friends and I have come from Jaipur and we are not even looking at the price tag. Last year, there was a ban on firecrackers. This year, no one is selling them in my city. We came to know about this place through WhatsApp messages and drove five hours to be here.”

There were at least 30-40 other people looking to buy firecrackers there.

A shop running from a warehouse in Gadoli was selling the stock at almost triple the usual price. A 500-piece ladi (cracker garland) which would have been available in the market for Rs 1000 is being sold for Rs 3000; a box of fuljhadi (sparklers) that used to cost about Rs 150 were being sold for Rs 400, and the price of hunters was up from Rs 200 to Rs 500.

Sidharth Chaudhary, a Gurugram resident, said, “A pack of rockets, which would come for Rs1,000, is being sold for Rs 5,000. But, we don’t mind paying. At least we are getting firecrackers. I am storing firecrackers for Diwali, as you never know when there will be a crackdown and this place will also shut down.”

The shopkeeper, who claimed to be a wholesale trader of firecrackers, also said that he wanted to sell off his stock that has remain unsold for the last two years before the administration and the police start cracking down. “Firecrackers don’t come with any price tag printed, so we can write anything. Till last year, we had licence to sell firecrackers, but after the ban, we had to at least clear what we have in our stock,” the wholesaler who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, adding that there were at least 15-20 sellers in the area till last year. “On Monday, just two shops were open,” he said.

In 2018, the Supreme Court banned the sale of firecrackers across India. SC lawyer Haripriya Padmanabhan and the mother of a petitioner who represented those seeking the ban on the sale of firecrackers said, “The same ban on firecrackers which was there last year, exists this year too. No shopkeeper is allowed to sell firecrackers that are not eco-friendly. Anyone, who does so, is going against the judiciary and the local administration should take action.”

The shop selling firecrackers at Gadoli village, near Gurugram. (HT Photo )

No takers for green crackers

Green crackers are available in Gadoli, but the stocks are small and buyers few. “The sale of green crackers is negligible; none of the customers are buying them. Everyone wants crackers with sound,” said the wholesaler.

Enforcers ready

Last year, the district administration had rejected all applications for temporary licences to sell crackers and imposed a ban on the sale of old stock in the wake of the Supreme Court’s order.

Gurugram deputy commissioner Amit Khatri said, “Action will be taken against violators under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of six months, or a fine of Rs 1,000 or both.”

On Monday, the Gurugram Police also issued directions to 40 station house officers to implement the Supreme Court’s order, allowing the sale and use of only green crackers between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali.

Police commissioner Muhammad Akil said they will arrest people bursting crackers beyond the allowed time limit and also those selling polluting crackers as no licences were issued this year. “The teams will conduct raids at suspected locations to check if anyone is selling crackers apart from green crackers. Also, we have no mechanism to check green crackers so we have roped in teams from the anti-pollution board,” he said.

Raids from Tuesday

Police teams are likely to conduct raids starting Tuesday in the outskirts of the city to ensure no wholesalers are selling or supplying crackers in the city. “We have deployed 1,500 personnel to patrol their areas. Our teams have also met the RWA and requested them to ensure that no one violates the rules and regulations in their respective areas,” Akil said.