Firecrackers being burst in Bhubaneswar (file picture)

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 11: The Kharavela Nagar police yesterday arrested one person for illegally storing crackers for sale without possessing a licence. The police also seized crackers worth more than Rs 3 lakh.

Police said the raid on the house followed a tip-off that the arrested trader, Pravat Kumar Samal, 50, was planning to transport the crackers to a place in Satya Nagar.

“We seized all the crackers. The trader did not have licence to sell the crackers,” said a senior police officer at Kharavela Nagar police station. The trader was arrested under the Explosive Substances Act and was produced in court today. One needs a licence for selling firecrackers which is granted by the city police.

A police officer said the police grant licences to traders to sell crackers just a week before Diwali. Traders have to apply to the commissioner of police in a form and take the permission of the fire brigade and local municipal authorities.

Samal had neither applied for any such licence nor did he possess a licence to stockpile or sell crackers. “As Diwali approaches, the rate of fire crackers goes up. Hence traders stockpile crackers and sell them after acquiring a licence which is granted by the city police just a week before the festival,” said the officer.

Sources said that every year, more than 300 small-time traders set up temporary kiosks to sell firecrackers in the city after the city police grant them licences. In some cases, however, traders set up shops without procuring licences or following security norms.

Such shops are mostly seen in Badagada, Khandagiri, Mancheswar and in the city outskirts.

There are five cracker-making units in the city outskirts, which supply crackers to traders in the city. Their contribution, however, is miniscule in comparison to the demand in the city. Crackers come in from Padampur in Cuttack, Pipli and Berhampur. Some illegal cracker making units have also been operating in the city.

These become more active during Diwali when the demand for crackers peaks.

Last year, two persons were burnt alive as the crackers they were illegally making burst in Kapialprasad. Fire brigade officials, who rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control, said the cracker-making unit had not taken any security measures.

Deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh said the process of issuing licences to traders has not started yet. “If anyone is found indulging in illegal trading, we will take steps against them. We are keeping an eye on such illegal traders and cracker-making units in the city,” said Singh, adding that those found guilty would be arrested and their materials would be seized.