Even as the sale of firecrackers has gone down, the licensing of firecracker stalls has been made stricter as a safety measure. The number of temporary licenses to stalls selling firecrackers has shrunken as well. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has given NOC to only 235 stalls this year.

Even as the guidelines for setting up stalls have remained the same for some years now, the state Labour Department has not conducted raids yet to ensure that the guidelines are followed. Children below 16 years employed in manufacturing units and firecracker stalls are treated as ‘child labourers’.

Acknowledging the fact that children are extensively employed in the manufacturing units and stalls, Deputy Labour Commissioner K S Gill said: “We have not conducted any raids on firecracker manufacturing units so far, but will raid stalls selling firecrackers this year. We have not received a single complaint till date and no incident has occurred, which is why we have not focused on this industry.”

As per the guidelines for setting up firecracker stalls, use of bulbs is forbidden. There should be no nearby tea stall or welding shop or any small manufacturing unit. Firecracker stalls lying adjacent to each other on a single row will not be allowed. The stalls are required to have a water barrel, a mud barrel and a fire extinguisher.

Chief Fire Officer of the AMC, M S Dastur said: “Licences to shops in congested areas have been drastically cut down and to shops in open grounds have been increased as a safety measure. No stalls in Kalupur, Jamalpur, Delhi Darwaza, Manekchowk, Raipur and Khadia have been given permission.”

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