Chandigarh to allot 11 sites for sale of green crackers

The UT administration has approved the issuance of licences to 95 vendors for selling green firecrackers at 11 designated sites across the city, ahead of Diwali. These sites will have eight to 10 shops each, and vendors will be allowed to sell firecrackers for only three days.
Applications will be accepted online, and an online draw will determine the successful applicants. The application fee is likely to be fixed at ₹500. Last year, 790 individuals applied for the 95 available sites.
A formal notification will be issued by the deputy commissioner’s office on Monday.
Residents can burst only green crackers approved by the National Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and that too only for two hours – from 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali. It will be the responsibility of the police station concerned to implement this order.
Meanwhile, the cracker dealers’ association has expressed concerns over the delay in starting the licensing process, citing potential difficulties in procuring green crackers at short notice. With nearly a fortnight left for Diwali, association general secretary Chirag Aggarwal said the delay would affect their business.