Admn cancels licences of firecracker sellers

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 14

The district administration today cancelled the licences of all 162 firecracker sellers after the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued new directions on the selling of firecrackers and allotment of stalls through a draw system.

The licences were issued for setting up stalls at the five designated places in the city.

The High Court stated in its order that Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh would issue temporary licences up to 20 per cent of the total number of temporary licences issued last year.

The court also directed the states to receive the application for the temporary licence till 2pm on October 16. The states have been directed to issue licences through the draw system on the same day and the process to be videographed. The court also directed that the temporary licences would not be entitled out of the designated area.

The High Court has also ordered that bursting of fire crackers will be allowed only between 6.30 pm and 9.30 pm on the day of Diwali.

Bathinda Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sakshi Sahwney said they had cancelled the licences issued to 162 firecrackers sellers. She said now, the draw would be held again on Monday for allotting stalls.

She said earlier, all 162 applicants were allotted stalls through the draw system. Now after the High Court’s directions, only 34 licences would be issued in the city for setting up stalls, the SDM added.

The district administration has designated five places in the city for selling firecrackers. These places are Multipurpose Sports Stadium, Rajindra College ground, Desraj School, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant stadium and Railway Institute.

The administration has issued instructions that there should be a distance of 3m between one stall and another and no unauthorised person would be allowed to enter the stalls where the stock of firecrackers to be kept. It has also been directed that no firecrackers would be kept for display in a radius of 50m of the stalls. Vehicles of fire brigade should be present at these venues.