The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Damp start to sale of crackers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 01, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Damp start to sale of crackers

Kannal Achuthan

Delay in issuing licence to retail traders cited as a reason

GEARING UP: A wholesale fireworks store in Parrys' Corner prominently displays water buckets and a sand barrel following the Madras High Court order on safety precautions. The retail business is expected to pick up only after traders get their licenc es. — Photo: D.Gopalakrishnan

CHENNAI: Not a cracking start for wholesale fireworks dealers this year although Deepavali is just around the corner.

Wholesale dealers in Parrys' Corner, a hub for fireworks sales in the city, say that sales is usually brisk during the Navaratri festival season. However, the delay in issuing licence to retail traders and vendors is the reason why it is yet to take off, they say.

"Many of the traders' applications for licences are pending, as a case related to licence rules was resolved only yesterday. Despite the delay, we expect sales to pick up," says A. Sait Mohamed, president of Chennai Crackers Dealers Welfare Association. On Friday, the Madras High Court disposed of a petition that sought grant of licence for storage and sale of firecrackers as per the specifications of the Explosives Act and the rules.

It prescribed additional precautionary measures, besides the conditions mentioned in the Fire Service Manual, for a trader to be eligible for a licence.

The court ruled that the Chennai Corporation Commissioner should not issue licence for sale or storage of firecrackers without clearance from the Joint Chief Controller of Explosives for permanent licence and no objection certificate from the Police Commissioner in respect of temporary licence.

Fire tenders would be stationed in congested areas. At Parrys Corner, wholesale fireworks shops are located on four streets: Bunder Street, Badriyan Street, Malayaperumal Street and Anderson Street. Many of the stores are wholesale stationery marts that get transformed into crackers shops a month before Deepavali. N. Mohamedali of Nagoor Crackers Shop said most of the dealers had safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, sand buckets and water barrels.

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