Jamshedpur: Acting tough against illegal sale of firecrackers, the police are conducting raids. The police have been asked to keep an eye in the Jugsalai and area for, it is the most vulnerable zone as far illegal sale of firecrackers are concerned.
�Jugsalai for years has been the center for dubious dealings of firecrackers and by rough estimates transaction worth crores of rupees takes place every year in the that particular pocket,� informed a
senior official.
As shops and manufacturers vie with each other to provide the public with bigger and louder firecrackers, anti-noise activists worry that this year too many bombs will go off with deafening bangs.
“The Supreme Court’s guidelines bar firecrackers that are louder than 120 decibels, but the rules will once again be flouted this year. Firecrackers like sutli bombs and ‘atom’ bombs have decibel levels
that are illegal,” said Prakash Sharma who has been campaigning for less noise pollution.
He went on to add that the 10pm noise deadline may have helped curb the menace, but even it is often flouted. Senior citizens and those who have heart ailments are plagued at night due to loud bombs. There is also confusion over the rule stating that fireworks cannot be set off within 100 metres of silence zone.
A joint team of East Singhbhum district administration and city police seized 27 tonnes of crackers illegally stored at two shops in densely populated Jugsalai. The police also arrested Ritesh Gulati, who had stored crackers more than the assigned capacity.
With an aim to check illegal selling of the fire crackers in the city the district administration is taking firm measures in this regard, including cancellation of the licence of the vendors found guilty of the crime.
The owner of the stock, Lochan Agrawal had housed 16 tonnes of crackers. The seized consignment have been confiscated and kept at the Jugsalai police station for investigation. Raids were also conducted at godowns of Gulati.
The raid was carried out after a tip-off in the presence of Dhalbhum sub divisional magistrate Madhvi Mishra.
The seized stocks, arguably one of the largest in the city in recent years, estimated at more than Rs 40 lakhs (market price) comprised fancy and high decibel crackers have been kept at Jugsalai police station.
�We have decided to continue such raids in different localities to crackdown on illegal sale and stockings of crackers ahead of Diwali. Cases have been lodged against the accused for stocking explosives illegally. Police have lodged cases under section 9B of the Indian Explosives Act (unauthorized storage of explosives materials) and 285 of the IPC (danger to human life),� said the Dhalbhum SDM.
Meanwhile, the common sale points identified by the district administration include Aambagan ground in Sakchi which has the maximum number of cracker sellers license (over 80) and G Town ground in Bistupur (over 60).
Other common sale points include Baridih Durga puja ground (Baridih), Gandhi Maidan in Mango, Ram Mandir ground (Sonari), Circus Maidan (Golmuri), Sunday market (Birsanagar), Burmamines Durga puja ground (Burmamines), Bhalubhasa Harijan School ground (Sitaramdera) and Sidhu Kanhu ground (Bagbera) Ganesh Puja ground (Kadma), R P Patel High School ground (Jugsalai), N Type Durga puja ground and Sabuj Kalyan Sangha ground (both in Telco).