Delhi Police seize 1200 kg of crackers ahead of Diwali, online shops shut

In a crackdown on the sale of crackers in Delhi-NCR following the Supreme Court's ban, the Delhi Police seized at least 1182 kg of crackers.

File photo

New Delhi: In a crackdown on the sale of crackers in Delhi-NCR following the Supreme Court's ban, the Delhi Police seized at least 1200 kg of crackers in the national capital and arrested 29 people for violating the ban. 

"No firecracker shop in the capital would be allowed to open until November 1. We have seized more than 1,200 kg of firecrackers and made 29 arrests so far from various areas of Delhi. Dozens of firecracker shops were forced to shut on Tuesday," Delhi Police Spokesperson Madhur Verma said.

"We are following the apex court guidelines against shopkeepers found selling firecrackers and taking action as per law. The police are vigilant to ensure that no one violates the court directive," Verma said.

According to him, five firecracker sellers were arrested from Sadar Bazar and Lahori Gate areas in the national capital. Dozens of others were nabbed in various areas of Delhi during surprise checks. "All SHOs have been directed to ensure that no one sells firecrackers."

The police have registered cases against 21 people in connection with the sale of crackers despite the court's ruling. 

Post the ban, a number of firecrackers manufacturers were doing business online. However, on Tuesday, the crackdown on crackers forced them to shut their establishments. 

On October 9, the apex court imposed a blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR in the run-up of Diwali to check the alarming pollution level.

A three-judge bench of the apex court had restored its November 2016 order, banning the sale of crackers in NCR and suspended its September 2017 order - which allowed limited sale but banned imports from other states.

Following the court's order, Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik had directed the deputy commissioners of police of the 13 police districts to ensure that crackers are not sold in the city.

Firecracker traders and shopkeepers are, however, disappointed with the apex court ban, as they invested in procuring the stuff in huge quantities to sell during festive season. 

"I made a bulk purchase of firecrackers worth nearly Rs 25 lakh from a manufacturer in advance, some three months before the Supreme Court ban. The court should have imposed this ban earlier. Then we would not have invested," Satyam Aggarwal, a shopkeeper from Sadar Bazar, said.

Aggarwal said all his savings had gone down the drain, "much like other thousands of small and big shopkeepers" selling crackers.

"I do not have any option but to store the goods and try my luck in Diwali next year if there is no ban in 2018."

Another shopkeeper, Ram Singhal, asked if firecrackers were the only source of pollution in Delhi and NCR.

"What about trucks, buses, diesel and petrol cars, bikes, industrial pollution, garbage, cutting of trees? These should also be banned," Singhal said.