Mohali administration is unable to keep a tab on the unauthorised sale of crackers across the district as hundreds of vendors without licences were seen selling them to customers here on Sunday. Towns like Kurali, Kharar, Dera Bassi and Zirakpur witnessed an illegal sale of crackers even one day before Diwali. On October 12, the district administration held a draw of lot to issue licenses and earmark sites to sell the crackers. The state government had allowed the sale of green crackers only. In the draw, a total of 44 licenses were issued and 12 sites were earmarked. Only two sites were earmarked in Kurali - the biggest hub of crackers. “There were hundreds of people selling crackers inside the town. We are small vendors and nobody asked us anything. It was the only day when we could do business,” a shopkeeper selling crackers on the outskirts of Kurali said. Another shopkeeper in Kharar said they bought crackers from a wholesaler and sold them. When asked about his license, he said that he did not have one and was selling them outside his shop on Landran-Kharar Road. “Nobody from the administration had come to check,” the shopkeeper said. Mohali Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amit Talwar was not available for the comments.
