Noida police to issue ‘green’ fire cracker licence for three days

Noida: The Noida police will issue licences to fire cracker vendors to sell green crackers for three days in Greater Noida, officials said. The police department

Noida: The Noida police will issue licences to fire cracker vendors to sell green crackers for three days in Greater Noida, officials said. The police department will accept applications from interested vendors till November 8. It will also issue a helpline number for people to seek help in case of injuries due to fire cracker bursting.

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Suhas LY, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate, said that a state government order and The Explosive Substances Act mandates the commissionerate to look after these issues.

The Noida police on Saturday issued a press statement inviting applications for fire cracker licenses from vendors. Rajesh Kumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, said that temporary licences will be issued to some vendors. “We are inviting applications from interested vendors from November 4-8. We received five applications till Friday. We will evaluate them and issue licences through lottery draw. The licences will be for green fire crackers only,” he said.

The licence will be issued from November 11 to 13. All vendors will have to sell the fire crackers in stalls allocated at the Knowledge Park playground. Officials said that they will set up a helpline at Sharda University for treatment of people with burn injuries, if any.

The Delhi government, on the other hand, on Thursday had imposed a blanket ban on firecrackers, including those branded ‘green’, between November 7 and 30, with the city reeling under the impact of hazardous air quality.

Singh said he has not received any communication from Delhi government over the issue.

Ajit Kumar, Sharda Hospital PRO, said the hospital has a burn unit and an ICU. “We have collaborated with the Noida police to treat burn injuries. We will soon issue a helpline number where people can contact and get help,” he said. The helpline will be active from November 10 to 15.

On Saturday, Noida and Greater Noida recorded an air quality index (AQI) 426 and 428, respectively, both in “severe” category, as per data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Alok Singh, a resident of Sector Alpha 1 in Greater Noida, said that fire crackers should be banned as the air quality is not good these days. “People should act responsibly. Diwali is a festival of lights. This is not a good time to burst fire crackers which will only worsen the air quality,” he said.