This is a bad news for environmentalists. Despite a determined campaign carried out by them against crackers through various forums, the city has registered 100 per cent growth in cracker sale this Diwali as compared to last year.

Although exact sale figures are yet to be calculated, rough the estimates indicate that crackers worth Rs 5 crore were sold in the city. The casual dealers of crackers so far have deposited Rs 12 lakh as lump sum tax and more is expected to come.

While the registered VAT dealers have given a growth of more than 100% as compared last year. The exact calculations however are yet to be made. As per the information available from excise sources, last year the total tax collection from the cracker dealers was Rs 30 lakhs and hence the sale was around Rs 2.4 crores. Thus if the registered VAT dealers have shown 100% growth and even the casual cracker dealers have also given tax of Rs 12 lakhs as compared to Rs 2.25 lakh last time, the sale of crackers must have been doubled.

“It needs to be mentioned that 12.5% VAT is deposited on the total sale of crackers by the registered dealers. The exact calculation of tax is yet to be made, but definitely there is a substantial growth this time due to more transparent system,” said deputy excise and taxation commissioner, Parampal Singh.

However the whopping rise in sale of crackers points to the fact that level of pollution must have increased due to more crackers bursting. The pollution control boar people however are yet to make calculations over the air pollution levels.

... contd.