Fire threat: Lights out this Uttarayan

The Gujarat High Court, on December 22 had banned manufacturing and sale of Chinese lanterns, which are released during Makar Sankranti along with kites, to light up the night sky. However, after a petition and tukkals reporting 21 fire incidents last season, the HC decided to ban these paper lanterns.

Earlier, kitists used to tie paper lanterns with candles in it to the string which would keep those in control, unlike the Chinese version.

A few kilometres from Teen Darwaja, among the series of “seasonal stores” at Dilli Darwaja is the shop of Manojbhai Soni (52),who refuses to sell the tukkal. “This shop is running since 50 years. My grandfather and father used to run it and my children are also going to carry our business forward. We have never sold tukkals in the season of Uttrayan. If customers ask for it, we do provide them from other shops, but we genuinely believe that tukkals cause damage to the environment. The business will run without the sale of tukkals also, but before fun and enjoyment, safety should be taken into consideration and we all are in favor of the decision,” he says.

After the ban, however, kite sellers have become careful. “It is risky to sell the lanterns to a stranger, which is why those are not at display,” said the owner of Shivnath Seasonal Store near Teen Dharwaja.

“I have not put up Chinese lanterns now, but January 12 and 13, I will put those on display. For now, Chinese lanterns are not costly, but as the festival approaches, those will cost more,” said Atish Shah (28), who runs a seasonal store in Chandkheda. Asked if police do not stop him when he sells Chinese lanterns, he replies, “Nowadays, the lanterns are even made in India.”

At Shahpur and Dilli Darwaja, which have the largest number of seasonal stores, the ban has been publicly announced on posters and banners. Dilli Darwaja has 16 shops in a row which sell various types of kites, and its accessories. Stalls are also set up on the roads during Uttarayan.

Over the last three years, at least three persons have died because of fires caused by tukkals. Deepak Vachhvani (27) owns four shops in Ahmedabad of which one is at Dilli Darwaja. He says, “Our shop has a seasonal business and we sell different things in every season. Uttarayan business starts mid-November, but big profit comes in January.”

He claims that most customers are aware of the tukkal ban and dont even ask for it. “A new trend of light bulbs is surely going to replace Chinese lanterns this year. Fancy light bulbs range from Rs 10 to Rs 100 bucks. All you have to do is tie it with the string of the kite and make it fly.”

Yogesh Patni(47), who runs a seasonal store for 18 years near Teen Darwaja, says his business has only got better this yea. “Every year, a customer would usually buy 50 kites and 20 Chinese lanterns, but this year they take only kites, and string.”