Green light lifts cracker hubs in NCR out of grey market; vendors await local permissions but ready with stocks

Ghaziabad/Gurgaon: Crackers - the lack of it, in fact - were the talk of a roadside eatery in Farukhnagar that had filled up, much to its servers' surprise, on Wednesday morning, making it an unlikely beneficiary of Supreme Court's order allowing green crackers in Delhi-NCR.Within a couple of hours of the court's ruling, many early birds had homed in on this cracker hub in Ghaziabad with long wish lists but were surprised to see shutters drawn and orders being refused. It's at this eatery where many of them stopped. The trip - from as far as Delhi, Noida, even Faridabad - should be worth something. If not crackers, at least return happy with chai, samosa and kachori.But for cracker traders who have for several years now seen their business go into the grey market, Wednesday was a good day, the best they have seen since 2019, the last time cracker sales were legally permitted. "Come tomorrow, we will start selling once the order reaches our hands," said a seller sitting in front of Galaxy Trading Company, fielding query after query of, "Band hai?", "Kyun?" (Closed? Why?)

One of the largest production and distribution centres in NCR for firecrackers, Aslatpur in Farukhnagar is a faint shadow of its former self.

Shahbaz, who has a fruit thela, is an example of this change. "If there were no restrictions on firecrackers, I wouldn't be selling fruits here," he said.Locals said there were nearly 300 licensed manufacturers and traders in the village a decade ago. "There was a fire incident in 2017 after which several licences were cancelled. Later, firecrackers were banned in NCR, making it difficult for most to continue with the trade," said Anant Jain, a middleman.

"As of today, there are seven licensed traders in the village and they will start selling once formal permissions come," he added.A teenager said traditional 'Ravan bombs' and 'clay anar' were being manufactured since early Sept in preparation for the festival. "Let the big shops open. We can supply as many crackers as you want," he said. Other sellers, when asked if they were making green crackers as SC has mandated, said they were not aware of any specifications and made their own products, as they have been doing for decades. Firecrackers Traders Association of Ghaziabad president Asutosh Gupta said permissions should be given quickly since the court has pronounced its order. "On one hand, they are yet to issue permissions, and on the other, local manufacturers have started selling crackers on pushcarts by the roadsides," he said.At Gadoli on Pataudi Road on the outskirts of Gurgaon, another major firecracker-selling hub in NCR that caters to customers from Delhi and UP, besides Haryana, sellers were busy preparing.

Though shops remained shut, 'green cracker' hoardings went up and stocks were organised for sales behind the shutters in anticipation of the legal sale window opening within a day or two. Rajesh Kumar, a long-time trader, said orders were pouring in over the phone.

"People have been calling to ask about availability and prices. For years, we've been facing huge losses because of the bans, but this time there's hope of good business," he said.In Gurgaon, around 250 temporary licences were issued each year during Diwali till 2016, with 150 of those allocated to traders at Leisure Valley Ground in Sector 29, 50 at Sector 5 Ground, and the remaining 50 at Gaushala Ground in Old Gurgaon. No licences have been issued since.Inside one of the shops, a worker was seen removing an old poster informing customers about restrictions. The notice, put up by Stars Night Fireworks, had read: "Dear customers, you are hereby informed that as per the Supreme Court's order, a ban has been imposed on the sale of firecrackers across NCR..."Pooja Bansal, who had reached Gadoli from Manesar to pick up crackers, said. "We have grown up celebrating Diwali with lights and crackers. For years, it felt incomplete because of the ban. If people follow green cracker guidelines responsibly, there's no harm. This move has brought back festive spirit," she said.