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Selling of imported fireworks illegal and punishable, says DIPP

The statement comes ahead of the Diwali festival next month, the season which sees the maximum sale of fireworks.

The department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) on Monday cautioned retailers against the possession and sale of fireworks of foreign origin in India, calling it “illegal and punishable under the law.”

In a statement, the DIPP said that it has received complaints of fireworks of foreign origin being illegally brought into India under false declarations with several fireworks associations claiming that these “smuggled items include the chemical potassium chlorate which is a dangerous and hazardous chemical and can ignite or explode spontaneously.” The statement comes ahead of the Diwali festival next month, the season which sees the maximum sale of fireworks.

Fearing the sale of illegal fireworks, the DIPP has asked retailers to inform about possession or sale of such products to the nearest police station. The fireworks in India have been listed as restricted item under Indian Trade Clarification (ITC) based on Harmonized System (HS) and the manufacture, possession, use and sale of any explosive containing sulphur or sulphurate in admixture with any chlorate is banned in the country since 1992, the statement said.

The Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association had also informed the DIPP about the penetration of such illegal fireworks in large quantities in the country and had warned the department of its sale through retail outlets extensively during the Diwali season.

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