With just three to four days remaining for the major festival of Diwali, the situation regarding the firecracker market in Jalandhar city remains unclear. Neither have the police notified any locations, nor have licenses been issued to firecracker traders. Consequently, firecracker traders, who hold stocks worth crores of rupees, are now caught in a maze of politics and bureaucracy.
It is worth noting that for the past several years, the firecracker market has been held in the open ground of Burlton Park, but this time, due to the ongoing construction of the Sports Hub, permission was denied. For the past two to three months, the district administration and the Municipal Corporation have been struggling to find a suitable location for the firecracker market. Various deficiencies were found in the proposed locations, resulting in no finalization.
A few days ago, firecracker traders planned to set up a market on vacant land near Pathankot Chowk. Initially, officials agreed, but now numerous obstacles are being placed on the same site. According to sources, Jalandhar Police have not yet notified the site. Police and administrative officials inspected the site throughout the day. Some officials were cooperative, while others raised objections. It is reported that objections are also being lodged regarding the petrol pump adjacent to the site. Currently, firecracker traders cannot begin their business without a police license, leading to significant frustration and anger among them.
Political interference has also been consistently evident in this matter. Initially, Senior Deputy Mayor and Aam Aadmi Party leader Balbir Singh Bittu suggested setting up the market on vacant land in village Chohkan. Subsequently, AAP constituency in-charge Dinesh Dhall proposed the Beant Singh Park site, but that too failed to materialize. Subsequently, BJP leader K.D. Bhandari attempted to arrange a new location through his acquaintance. Meanwhile, Congress-backed Pradhan Rana Harsh Verma secured a space at Lyallpur School and even signed an agreement, but when permission was denied, he approached the High Court. Although his petition has now been dismissed, the dispute over the new location remains. All eyes are now on the police administration’s decision on October 17th. If the police department notifies the proposed location and issues licenses, it’s possible that the firecracker market shops will open on October 18th. However, this will occur just two days before Diwali, raising the question of where city residents will purchase firecrackers and how much of their stock will be sold.
High Court seeks government response on increasing the number of draws
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a response from the government on a petition filed by firecracker traders seeking an increase in the number of draws. The petition, jointly filed by the Bhandari Group, Ravi Mahajan Group, and Ballu Baahari Group of Jalandhar, argued that the number of draws held for firecracker traders has been very limited for the past several years, despite the significant population growth during this period and the number of traders now exceeding previous levels.
The petition was heard today by a division bench headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court. During the hearing, other petitions filed by firecracker traders from various cities were also debated. After hearing the arguments of the lawyers on both sides, the court dismissed all petitions related to other cities but retained the petition related to Jalandhar for hearing.
According to sources, the Honorable Court has taken the issues raised in this petition seriously and has asked the government to clarify what steps can be taken to increase the number of draws. The court has sought a detailed response from the government in this regard.
According to reports, this decision will likely be implemented next year. At present, firecracker traders are hopeful that in the coming year the number of draws will be increased from the current 20, so that more number of traders will be able to get licenses and they will get opportunities for their business.
