168 vendors get green cracker approval before Diwali: Delhi Police

Among all the districts in Delhi, the highest number of applicants (30) was received and approved (26) in Shahdara.

No applications were received in the New Delhi district, while two were received in Outer, out of which one was approved. The process of getting the licence approved needs the go-ahead from three offices: The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the district, the Sub Divisional Magistrate, and the fire department.

The shop selling the crackers should be in an area which has sufficient space for fire tenders to rush in, and a map showing the same, along with the shop registration number, Aadhaar card and PAN number of the owner, needs to be shown to the authorities.

Police officers said small traders are still unaware of the proper guidelines, but attempts were made to encourage owners and even small-time vendors who had previously applied for temporary licences to register by Saturday.

In Delhi, there are about 180 permanent firecracker licence holders, and based on seasons, about 250-300 vendors apply for temporary ones, a police officer said. But till Thursday, a day after the Supreme Court order came into effect, only 15 vendors had applied for temporary licences of green crackers, a police officer said.

“A surge was seen in applications from Friday after separate teams of police officials and district administration were made to fasten the approval processes for licensing. The crackers are required to have a NEERI-approved QR code to authenticate them,” a police officer said.