Police play it safe, give licences to 146 regular shops and 13 temporary shops.
In the wake of the devastating fire at the Rajkot TRP game zone, which claimed 27 lives, the city police are taking a cautious approach to granting firecracker shop licences this Diwali. A senior police official confirmed that thorough inspections are being conducted with the fire department before any licences are approved.
As of Wednesday, 146 regular firecracker shops, which operate A shop selling firecrackers
throughout the year, have received licences. Out of 33 applications from temporary vendors, 20 are undergoing physical verification by local police and fire department officials, and 13 licences have been granted. “We are being extra vigilant this time to prevent fire incidents,” the official said. “Our priority is to ensure all firecracker shops have the necessary fire safety equipment.”
Crackdown on illegal fireworks
Police teams are patrolling the city outskirts to identify and shut down any illegal firecracker manufacturing units. All police stations have been instructed to locate and take action against illegal sellers including those operating from handcarts.
Options limited
With an estimated population of 8.85 million and approximately 1.7 million households in Ahmedabad, access to firecrackers may be limited. Currently, only 159 shops are authorised to sell fireworks, although a total of 176 applications have been received.
A senior police official acknowledged the difficulty of monitoring illegal firecracker sales and enforcing noise level regulations set by the National Green Tribunal.