In a major crackdown against people involved in selling of firecrackers illegally in the national capital, Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested 29 people and seized over 1,200 kg of fireworks items. The move came in line with the Supreme Court order, banning the sale and purchase of firecrackers in Delhi due to pollution concerns around Diwali.
After the apex court order, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik had directed the DCPs of the 13 police districts to ensure that crackers are not sold in the city. Besides, special teams were also deployed in all districts to monitor the situation.
Madhur Verma, PRO, Delhi Police said that 29 FIRs were also registered. He said that eight cases have been registered in the north district against the people found selling firecrackers, the maximum among all the districts.
He informed that officials seized 368 kilogram of firecrackers from the southwest district, the maximum among all districts with Rohini a close second at 344.5 kg.
"No firecracker shop in the capital would be allowed to open till November 1. We have seized more than 1,200 kg of firecrackers and made 29 arrests so far from various areas of Delhi. Dozens of firecracker shops were forced to shut on Tuesday. We are following the apex court guidelines against shopkeepers found selling firecrackers and taking action as per law. The police is vigilant to ensure that no one violates the court directive," Verma said.
Meanwhile, two Delhi Police personnel posted at the Mangolpuri Police Station in outer district were suspended for allegedly failing to curb the sale of firecrackers in their beat areas.
The apex court had last week refused to modify its October 9 order to ban sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR this Diwali and expressed anguish that the order was being given a communal twist. The top court had earlier slapped a temporary ban on the sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR till October 31, pointing to the adverse impact of bursting of the firecrackers witnessed year after year.
