The Mohali district administration has granted 44 temporary licences for the sale of firecrackers across Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) district. The licenses were allotted through a transparent draw held under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate Komal Mittal at the District Administrative Complex, Sector 76. The process was conducted in the presence of senior officers, including ADC (G) Geetika Singh, SDM Damanpreet Kaur, AC (G) Dr Ankita Kansal, and Tehsildar Gurwinder Kaur, with full videography for transparency. DC Mittal said that the administration had received 1,260 applications, out of which 1,180 were found valid, and 44 licences were allotted as per the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s guidelines that restrict the number to 20 per cent of 2016 levels. For Mohali and Banur, 1,042 applications were received for 18 licences while Kharar, Kurali, and Nayagaon got 19 applications for eight licences. Dera Bassi had 187 applications for six licences, and all 12 eligible applicants from Zirakpur and Lalru received licences directly. The DC emphasised that only 13 designated sites have been approved for cracker sales, permitted from October 18 to 20 for Diwali and on November 5 for Gurpurab, between 10:00 am and 7:30 pm. Bursting will only be allowed from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Diwali and 4:00–5:00 am, 9:00–10:00 pm on Gurpurab. She warned that illegal sale or bursting of firecrackers beyond permitted hours will invite strict action. Further details are available on www.sasnagar.nic.in.
