Firecrackers: Stall owners flout norms with impunity

Guntur: Guidelines and safety measures for the sale of firecrackers are being flouted by the merchants in the district with impunity. Apart from Guntur city, traders from other towns like Tenali, Narasaraopeta, Ponnur and Bapatla are showing scant respect in following the safety norms.

District administration, police and fire departments issued guidelines, ‘dos and donts’ to the public and to the owners of Diwali stalls in the district. But lack of coordination among the three departments is causing a lot of concern about the consequences if any fire mishap takes place.

Coupled with the political intervention right from the issuance of licences, allotment of stalls, allowing the stocks to be sold and adhering to safety norms, the traders are hiking the prices of crackers at places by 80 per cent.

While the guidelines indicating that shops should be built with tin sheets in many towns merchants are just erecting with shamiyanas, and traders should not hoard fireworks in those shops. All the shops should be concrete structures provided with entry and exit routes. There should be a minimum gap of 15 metres between shops and they should not be face each other.

Although, there are hundreds of safety norms prescribed, the merchants are citing the lame excuse that last year, they had dull business and they are afraid that it would be the same again this year too and the expenditure to follow the guidelines will be higher than the total volume of business. And they have the support of the local politicians.

When asked about the safety measures being flouted at the stalls Srinivasa Reddy, district fire department officer, said that they were trying their level best and conducted several demonstrations for the safety of both public and merchants during Diwali.

It is widely believed that many of the stall owners are benamis of a few influential persons and believe that none would touch them even if they flout rules and norms.