No safety measures at cracker stall sites

IT seems the district administration did an eyewash while allotting sites to set up cracker stalls, for the authorities apparently did not bother to check the safety measures being taken by the stall owners.

IT seems the district administration did an eyewash while allotting sites to set up cracker stalls, for the authorities apparently did not bother to check the safety measures being taken by the stall owners.

A routine survey by the fire brigade department on Saturday at a few sites revealed that fire extinguishers did not work while many other norms were also not being followed.

Additional District Fire Officer ADFO Kartar Singh told Newsline: 8220;I have checked a few sites and I am surprised as how the stalls are operating from these locations without taking even a single precautionary measure. I have sent the report to the deputy commissioner because we are not authorised to take any action.8221;

Interestingly, the main wholesale market at Dana Mandi, which has around 55 cracker stalls, has hardly any sand buckets. A few buckets lying at the spot were seen empty while fire extinguishers were found to be non-operational. No water drums were also found at the spot. Besides, the site is close to jhuggis, where cooking is done in the open, which can cause a major mishap.

Singh said: 8220;Even last year, anomalies were found and we had pointed to them, but it seems that stall owners are not bothered about fire safety at all.8221;Norms were being flouted openly even at cracker stall sites at Haibowal, Pakhowal Road, Jamalpur and near the Government College for Women.

According to the rules, every stall owner should have three buckets of sand, four water drums and two fire extinguishers. But not four drums were found in the whole of Dana Mandi, said Singh.

At Pakhowal Road, the cracker site is next to the residential area. Residents of Model Town extension had been objecting to this site for the past two years, but the location has not been changed by the authorities. Fire authorities said they can only tell about the safety norms and it is for the police and the administration to see that are complied with to avoid any untoward incident. Meanwhile, the sale of crackers is yet to pick up.

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Raid at Dana Mandi
MEANWHILE, the Sales Tax Department today conducted a raid at Dana Mandi in order to check the stocks and tax payment by the cracker stall owners. High drama was witnessed when the stall owners gheraoed the tax officials and blocked the traffic on the main road near the Jalandhar bypass. This drama continued for more than an hour and the officials had to call in for police help. Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner HPS Gotra also confirmed the same. He said: 8220;Finally the stall owners admitted that they have not paid the full tax and now all of them will be paying tax between Rs 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh by Monday.8221;