Jamshedpur traders demand issue of temporary licence for firecrackers

Jamshedpur, Nov 3: Firecrackers traders of Jugsalai on Tuesday staged a dharna in protest against raids being carried out by the administration. They demanded an issue of license.

Meanwhile with an aim to check illegal selling of the fire crackers in the city the district administration has decided to take firm measures in this regard, including cancellation of the licence of the vendors found guilty of the crime.

According to district administration officials the police have been asked to keep an eye in the Jugsalai area for, it is the most vulnerable zone as far illegal transaction of fire crackers are concerned.

“Jugsalai for years has been the center for dubious dealings of fire crackers and by rough estimates transaction worth crores of rupees takes place every year in that particular pocket,” informed a senior vigilance official.

Taking lessons from the past incidents the district administration is likely to constitute a team of the administrative and police officials who will make surprise visits to the market to get hold of the shops selling firecrackers illegally, if any.

The traders however issued a temporary licence for sale of crackers for the upcoming festival of lights Diwali.

Dhalbhum SDO Nitish Kumar informed that temporary licence to retailers of firecrackers identified on the basis of lists prepared by the three local urban bodies- Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee ( JNAC), Mango Notified Area Committee ( MNAC) and Jugsalai Municipality and reports of circle officer of Jamshedpur block, would be issued.

“We want to ensure that crackers are sold on identified areas to ensure safety. No businessman will be allowed to sell crackers from shops in areas having dense population,” said Kumar.

According to Kumar, they would ensure that proper safety measures are taken by the retailers like sand buckets, sufficient water and fire extinguishers at the venue of sale. He said that no objection certificate ( NoC) would be given to the retailers only after proper verification. He also promised to conduct a surprise inspection at the sale areas.     

Some of the major venues of sale of crackers will include the Ram Mandir Maidan in Sonari, Aam Bagan grounds in Sakchi, G. Town grounds in Bistupur, R P Patel High School in Jugsalai, Burmamines Durga Puja grounds in Burmamines, Circus Maidan in Golmuri, and Durga Puja Maidan in Baridih.