We brought you the news a few days ago that the Chandigarh Administration has issued a list of 8 places where the Cracker businessmen were allowed to put up temporary stalls. The Crackers Association had protested the decision calling it barbaric and a move to hit the small businessman. The Chandigarh Administration then had issued the license to 280 old license holders and 80 new cracker vendors.
The list of places was also updated to a total of 17 as of Thursday. The news we bring you today as totally contradictory as the High Court has slammed the Chandigarh Administration on the way they handled the issue and reversed their Thursday decision.
How will the new cracker vendors get their license?
The High Court has ordered the Chandigarh Administration that a list of fresh applicants be made. The licenses will be allotted to a total of 54 vendors on the basis of a lucky draw. The Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh has been given the responsibility to carry out the task efficiently. The draw will be conducted in the Deputy Commissioners office in Sector 17 on Monday 5:00PM. The number of sites proposed is still uncertain if 8 or 17. The final decision on the number of sites along with the name of the proposed ones will come on Saturday.
Crackers Association of Chandigarh is Opposing the move:
Devinder Gupta the president of Chandigarh Cracker Association told the media that the High Court’s decision will bring huge losses to the cracker vendors. He said the matter has been handled with great irresponsibility. He said that most of the vendors have already bought their stock when the Chandigarh Administration issued them a license. The association confirmed that they do a business of 45-50 crores each year.
The Chandigarh Administration had forbidden them from selling crackers inside their shops or outside the shops in highly populated areas. The Chandigarh Administration said that it can prove to be very dangerous and can result in the loss of life and property. Also selling the crackers in densely populated areas lead to major traffic jams near the time for Diwali. The High Court has also issed a timeline of three hours to burn the crackers this Diwali. The Chandigarh residents can only burn crackers from 6:30PM to 9:30PM.
Source: Tribune
Comments
