Trucks carrying firecrackers waiting for police permission

Aurangabad, Oct 27:

With Lakshmi Pujan just a few days away, the firecracker market has yet to get permission from the police department. Two trucks full of firecrackers have arrived from Sivakasi and the vendors have stopped them outside the city.

Firecracker vendors have to get permission from the fire department of the municipal corporation, public works department (PWD) for space and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) for lights and police department for security. Firecrackers are brought inside the city only after getting permission from every department. This year, the firecracker market is being set up at Ayodhyanagri ground, TV Center ground, Kalagram, Shivajinagar, Mukundwadi, Chikalthana, Beed Bypass and Ranjangaon.

In all, 57 stalls have been set up in Ayodhyanagri. Today the stalls were allotted to the traders through a draw. Every year 10 to 12 trucks of firecrackers come to the city for sale. However, last year, only 40 per cent of firecrackers were ordered by traders due to corona. The situation is better this year, as a result, the citizens will blow up more firecrackers. Hence, 8 to 10 trucks of firecrackers have been ordered by the traders, out of which 2 trucks have arrived. Permission was obtained from the municipal corporation, PWD and MSEDCL. But the truck could not be brought into the city as the traders have not received permission from the police department, said Gopal Kulkarni, president of the firecrackers traders association.