With Diwali round the corner, sale of crackers has gone up considerably around the city. But with the increase in sales, blatant violation of law can also be seen around the State capital. Despite strict guidelines issued by district administration prohibiting sale of crackers here and there, many sellers have put up shops at several places along the roadside. Additionally, any action against these sellers from authorities remains unapparent.
According to the guidelines issued by the district administration, crackers can be sold in temporary makeshift shops at five places in the city that include Zila School Ground, Jaipal Singh Stadium, Harmu Ground, Shaheed Ground and Morabadi Maidan. But the guidelines seem ineffective as many vendors have arranged temporary shops along the busy streets of the state capital further increasing the traffic problem during the festive season.
On the other hand, cracker vendors have their own reasons to cite on the issue of areas allotted to them by the concerned authorities. “I stay at Kathal More and arranging temporary makeshift shops at specified locations is not feasible for me as it will involve extra charges especially in case of transportation,” said Arvind Ram, a vendor.
Similarly, another vendor, laxman informed, “I am selling crackers in Ratu Road since seven years now and I am also not aware about the rules and regulation made by the administration. Moreover, I am not going to leave my area and shift to other place as this is the only time when we make some money.”
However, City SP Jaya Roy has assured that strict action will be taken against those found guilty of violating the guidelines. “The moment we receive any complaints regarding the sale of crackers along the roadside, we will take actions against the culprits. The vigilance team is constantly checking the areas,” stated City SP Jaya Rai.
Moreover, two teams including disaster management and arms magistrate have been formed by the district administration for inspecting several locations specially the busy streets of MG Road and Upper Bazaar which sees the bulk of cracker sale during Diwali, as maximum shopaholics visit these two places regularly during the festive season.
“I have received complaints from many areas that rules and guidelines are being violated at certain places especially in Marwari Tola and Upper Bazaar. In the morning itself I have sent two arms magistrate to check the specific locations. I think there is some confusion in understanding the guidelines, as it was strictly mentioned in the guideline that even the shopkeepers will not encroach the road and put crackers stalls outside their shops. However, the complete report is yet to come and I will take action accordingly,” added DC Ranchi, Manoj Kumar.