A variety of firecrackers on display at a shop in Ranchi. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Oct. 23: Come the festival of lights and residents of the city seem to go bonkers over the huge variety of firecrackers sold in the market. People have already begun their Diwali shopping and the capital is all set to witness a spectacular display of fireworks this year.

Six major dealers here have stocked a wide range of crackers, including ‘rockets, low sound bombs, coloured and plain sparklers and loose crackers’. The cheapest cracker available in the market costs 10 paise while the most expensive ones are priced at Rs 1,000. Prominent brands include Standard, Cock, Duck, Chima, Seven Hills, Eagle, Ashok and Classic.

However, this year there seem to be dark clouds of controversy gathering on the Diwali horizon, as a social organisation has come forward to oppose the use of firecrackers.

The group has launched an awareness drive to educate the people regarding the ill effects of bursting crackers during festivals. Some organisations have also demanded a ban on the sale of crackers.

The local chapter of the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS) of Kailash Satyarthi, has taken strong exception to the large-scale exploitation of children in the fireworks industry. “Thousands of poor children are associated with the firework factories. The factory owners exploit the children and we feel it’s wrong to buy crackers manufactured by exploiting the weakest section of the society,” said Sanjay Kumar, convenor of the organisation. The firework factory owners, however, denied that child labour was being used in their units. “The manufacturers have decided to take legal, civil as well as criminal action against anyone spreading rumours about children working in the fireworks units,” a dealer said.

Shailendra Jaiswal, a vendor at Kadru said there was nothing wrong in selling crackers to the people.

“Fireworks are approved by the department of explosives. They are safe and don’t explode by themselves or by friction, impact or heat. As per Rule 114 of Explosives Rule 1983, any person can possess fireworks and firecrackers without any licence in a quantity not exceeding 25 kg excluding the weight of the boxes, wrappers and other packaging materials,” he said.

Another vendor at Doranda market, Sanjay, said: “As per Rule 32 of Explosives Rule 1983, no licence is required for transporting fireworks in any vehicle other than those with passengers. According to the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, there is no hearing damage even to children from random noise levels as high as 136 decibels emitted from firecrackers.”

Many other vendors in the state capital put forth similar logic. Kamal Sinhania, president of the Federation of Fireworks Manufacturers, said crackers were legal and in accordance with the directions laid down by the Supreme Court.

“In accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court of India, fireworks and firecrackers can be displayed or burst from 6 am to 10 pm,” he said. There was nothing wrong in selling crackers, he added.

According to Sinhania, fireworks comply with noise regulations stipulated under the Environment Protection Rule 1986. “It is a misconception that fireworks pollute the environment. All precautions are being taken by the cracker manufacturers,” he said.

But, police officials contradict this notion of the manufacturers. An official said it was wrong to say crackers were harmless. “There are a large variety of crackers available in the market. Some of the crackers contain prohibited chemicals injurious to health. ‘Onion bomb’ is one such example,” he said.

Another official at the office of the arms magistrate said it was wrong to use crackers all the time. “Use of fireworks and firecrackers late in the night between 10 pm and 6 am is prohibited,” the source said. Sale of crackers without prior permission is also illegal, he added.

Another source said the use of fireworks in silence zones was also strictly prohibited. “No one can use fireworks near hospitals, schools and courts,” the source added.

A dealer informed about a website providing details about the safety measures to be taken while having fun with crackers. “The websites are www.cornationfireworks.com and www.kailaswari-fireworks.com,” he said.