Traders and shopkeepers in Delhi said that they will face huge losses after the ban on all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital. The traders and shopkeepers in Jama Masjid and Sadar Bazar areas, two of the biggest firecracker markets in the national capital, said they had already stocked crackers worth lakhs of rupees before the ban was announced.
The traders said temporary licences were issued by authorities for up to 650 kg of firecrackers but normally they purchase 400-500 kg in view of safety and demand in the market. The permanent firecracker licensees can stock up to 1,000 kg or more, they said.
"I have no idea what to do with the stock of my firecrackers, maybe I will distribute them among people. There is a ban on sale of firecrackers but not on its distribution," Hardeep Chabra, the general secretary of Sadar Bazar firecrackers traders association told PTI.
Chabra said firecracker traders have been staging a dharna in Sadar Bazar against the ban.
A meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to seek a solution to this problem has also been planned, he said. The traders and shopkeepers said they will approach the Baijal to seek his help in giving respite from the move that came "late" as crackers worth crores of rupees were already stocked by them ahead of festivals like Diwali, Chhath and Gurupurab.