Dismayed over the ban on sale and bursting of firecrackers this Diwali in Delhi and the National Capital Region by the Supreme Court, manufacturers and retailers of fireworks in Ghaziabad on Monday protested against the court’s decision.
They said the livelihood of lakhs of people was at stake as many of the shopkeepers had already stocked firecrackers, as Diwali falls on October 19, which is just round the corner.
“Today, we went to the district headquarters, where the officers told us that licenses cannot be renewed since the Supreme Court has banned the sale of crackers,” Firecrackers Association president, Pradhan said.
138 retail licenses were to be renewed but the officers refused to renew them in view of Monday’s judgment by the Apex Court.
Pradhan, said over two crore people were engaged in the manufacture and sale of firecrackers and their livelihood was at risk.
“The court is not listening to our problems. Our children will be forced to beg in the streets,” he added.
The Supreme Court on Monday restored its November 2016 order to ban the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.
Earlier, in its September judgment, the Supreme Court had granted manufacturers and retailers permission to sell the crackers to exhaust 50 per cent of their stock during this Diwali season.
However, Monday’s decision has put the cracker manufacturers and shopkeepers in trouble.