In those five days, 10 lakh kilograms of firecrackers are used per day," a Supreme Court bench had said in August this year..The news travelled fast in the narrow bylanes of the two markets in the Old City with shops piled high with crackers of all kinds, ranging from sparklers selling for about Rs 20 a stick to powerful bombs going up to Rs 1,000 and more. Now, what will we do with the old stock? Crackers worth crores will go waste," said Amit Jain, who sells firecrackers in Jama Masjid.Many of them said they were just getting over the blow of "28 per cent GST on crackers". This is India, not Taliban that you can go on banning things like this," Chhabra said. A banner saying "Patake hi Patake" was pulled down to make way for a new one declaring, "Nashe se mar rahe hai log, Patakon se nahi (People are dying because of drugs, not of crackers"."We cant sell in shops so we will sell on the pavement if nothing works out," Chhabra said, addressing a crowd that had gathered near his shop.While environmentalists and others welcomed the apex court order, Chawla is amongst those hoping that the biggies of Sivakasi - firecracker manufacturing hub - manage to get a stay."
People running the industry in Sivakasi are big shots. What do we do with these crackers that we bought," he added, showing his licence giving him permission to sell crackers till November 21. do they actually think that one day can make this huge impact?" asked a permanent licence holder in Jama Masjid who did not want to be identified."All dealers across NCR have been affected.With losses running into crores, their Diwali was going up in smoke, said shopkeepers in Sadar Bazar and Jama Masjid, two of the biggest cracker markets in the city. I had bought crackers worth Rs 25 lakh," added Rajiv Saxena of RK Enterprises. I can already see policemen taking rounds to harass us," said Surinder Chawla.Pawan Khosla, who had come to purchase crackers for the festive season, had no clue about the apex court order.Shopkeepers in Sadar Bazar have threatened to go on strike and insist they wont follow the order."My losses will be three times more."This is not childs play. "They have banned Diwali in Delhi," said a third.According to him, 500 temporary licences have already been issued to sell firecrackers in Delhi-NCR."Diwali is celebrated for around five days.The "cracker lobby" also contests that a ban would help in reducing pollution."Thank god you told me," he said, adding some more to his bulging gunny bags of the incendiary stuff..His story found wide echo in the area..
Sandeep Mahajan, another shopkeeper from Sadar Bazaar, said he has over 600 kg of crackers worth about Rs 8 lakh. They have revoked the old ban only to bring China led light bar it again.It was reportedly informed by a counsel that 50 lakh kg of fireworks were stocked in and around the National Capital Region.New Delhi: The Supreme Court order decreeing a cracker-free Diwali this year spread like the proverbial wildfire through wholesale markets in Delhi, on Monday, uniting shopkeepers big and small in their anger and dismay. They will get us out of this situation," Chawla said. "The Supreme Courts job is to regulate not ban," added another who had set up shop close by. "Trucks are roaming throughout Delhi and there is no check. The big industries are polluting air 365 days and you dont do anything. The ban was imposed in 2016 last year and was lifted temporarily around 20 days back. This does not include those who have a permanent licence.Harjit Singh Chhabra, head, Sadar Nishkarm Welfare Association, estimated that losses could go up to hundreds of crores. But come Diwali and you are all alert. The last I knew, Supreme Court was authorised to regulate, not ban."We are selling crackers not nuclear weapons that you impose a ban. This will only create new avenues for corruption.The Supreme Court said its order of last November banning the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) would continue till October 31 - Diwali falls on October 19 -- in an effort to check pollution this festival of lights.The posters came up equally rapidly."Ban nuclear weapons, not crackers," said one shopkeeper in Sadar Bazar."We are clueless about what to do next! For us Diwali is finished. Of these, Sadar Bazar has 24.