Fatehabad road dropped from firecrackers market list

Agra: Following a report of the fire department, the district administration has removed Fatehabad road from the list of places where temporary firecrackers markets are proposed to be set up for Diwali. Earlier, the district administration had shortlisted 18 places where sale of firecrackers would be allowed in the city.

The temporary firecrackers market was set up on Fatehbad road last year.

Additional district magistrate KP Singh said, “Following objections of the fire department, the temporary firecrackers market will not be allowed on Fatehabad road. The location has been cancelled because of the proximity of residential areas. In case of any untoward incident, people will not be able to flee immediately and a stampede-like situation may arise.”

The temporary firecrackers markets for Diwali will operate for five days from October 25 to 29, till Bhai Dooj. Here, adequate safety arrangements will be made by the district administration. Besides police presence, fire brigade will be on standby. The exercise is followed every year.

The temporary markets will be set up at Kothi Meena Bazaar, Government Inter College ground, Awas Vikas Colony Park, Baptist School ground, Balkeshwar ground, Company garden, and NC Vedic Inter College among others.

Ahead of the festival of lights, the district administration has received over 500 applications for licence for setting up temporary shops to sell firecrackers. The applications have been sent to the office of additional district magistrate. The maximum number of applications has come from Kothi Meena Bazaar.

According to sources, the applicants are using political connections to get licence for selling fire crackers.

The applicants have already started to queue up at the collectorate office for procuring a licence. They will have to produce a no-objection certificate from the fire department to get a licence to sell firecrackers.

KP Singh, ADM city, said, “Before Dhanteras,. which is on October 25, a district-level committee will allocate licences to eligible applicants. Besides, guidelines for use of firecrackers will also be released. As the city lies in the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone, use of only green firecrackers with lesser emissions will be allowed." Green crackers are those which do not have aluminum, barium, iron and strontium salt.

Meanwhile, district magistrate NG Ravi Kumar has ordered checking to prevent illegal stocking and sale of crackers. He has urged strict adherence to standard safety norms while setting up temporary stalls to sell firecrackers.