Black Diwali for merchants, as several states ban the sale and use of firecrackers


Firecracker retailers have been struggling to make ends meet for three years in a row. This year has been the worst so far. Crony-rupee deals have been hampered after the National Green Court banned the sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR until the end of November.

The ban has affected merchants who have spent money on temporary cracker licenses for the holiday season. In Delhi alone, some 140 licenses have been issued. Firecracker shops in Old Delhi’s Dariba Kalan, the 200-year-old ‘pataka’ bazaar, are closed for the first time this Diwali.

“It is wrong to blame firecrackers for the pollution in Delhi. The government does nothing on the issue of burning stubble. They should think about the livelihood of thousands of traders involved in this business,” said Rakesh, a firecracker retailer in Jama Masjid. .

Another retailer, Shayam, said: “Both the court and the government should have thought about this before. Not after we got our licenses and invested huge sums in green cookies. This is the time of year we can win. But now only be a black Diwali in our houses. We don’t even have money to buy candy and lights for the children at home.

“We merchants have invested our life savings in buying billions of green cookies, some of us have even taken out loans. And now all of a sudden our actions have become illegal,” said cookie merchant Amit Jain .

Stores are closed but retailers continue to sit outside. Not hoping to sell the cookies, but to lend a shoulder to cry.

Rules in different states:

Rajasthan: It was the first state to impose a total ban on the sale of cookies, with a fine of Rs 2,000 for violations.

Punjab: It has a two hour window for Diwali and Guru Purab.

Delhi: The ban runs from November 7 to 30.

Karnataka: First he banned cookies, then backtracked. Green firecrackers can be sold and used.

West Bengal: The Calcutta High Court ban covers Diwali, Kali Puja, Chhath and Kartik Puja.

Odisha: Sale and use are prohibited from 10 to 30 November.

Haryana: Cookies can be popped for two hours on Diwali, from 8 pm to 10 pm

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