This is a bad news for environmentalists. Despite a determined campaign carried out by them against crackers through various forums,the city has registered 100 per cent growth in cracker sale this Diwali as compared to last year. Although exact sale figures are yet to be calculated,rough the estimates indicate that crackers worth Rs 5 crore were sold in the city. The casual dealers of crackers so far have deposited Rs 12 lakh as lump sum tax and more is expected to come. While the registered VAT dealers have given a growth of more than 100% as compared last year. The exact calculations however are yet to be made. As per the information available from excise sources,last year the total tax collection from the cracker dealers was Rs 30 lakhs and hence the sale was around Rs 2.4 crores. Thus if the registered VAT dealers have shown 100% growth and even the casual cracker dealers have also given tax of Rs 12 lakhs as compared to Rs 2.25 lakh last time,the sale of crackers must have been doubled. It needs to be mentioned that 12.5% VAT is deposited on the total sale of crackers by the registered dealers. The exact calculation of tax is yet to be made,but definitely there is a substantial growth this time due to more transparent system, said deputy excise and taxation commissioner,Parampal Singh. However the whopping rise in sale of crackers points to the fact that level of pollution must have increased due to more crackers bursting. The pollution control boar people however are yet to make calculations over the air pollution levels. Meanwhile,the fire brigade departments findings have revealed that all fire incidents happened due to fire crackers resulting in enormous losses to many. ADFO Kartar Singh said,If the administration can allot sites for selling fire crackers at different places,they can also do the same for bursting the crackers,where fire brigade team can make adequate arrangements as well. In the congested city especially,bursting of crackers should be banned because it becomes too difficult for us to even enter the narrow lanes. Singh added,A number of shops have been reduced to ashes just because a cracker dropped near their shop from somewhere. So the administration certainly needs to think over this or at least the welfare societies of colonies should earmark one open site where they can burst crackers which will help limiting the damage caused by the cracker-induced fire incidents. It needs to be mentioned that due to limited fire brigade staff,the firebrigade team could not make it to the place of incident in time as they were busy at some other site. Most of the accidents,it may be mentioned,happened in congested areas which sends an alarm bell that open sites need to be chosen for cracker bursting as well.
