Gurgaon: Twelve years on, the administration has earmarked 23 locations across the city for the sale of green crackers. The move is aimed at restricting licensed vendors to designated grounds, besides regulating the seasonal firecracker trade. The exercise marks a return to the system of earmarking specific grounds for firecracker sales, with the last clearly documented records in 2014.The latest arrangement covers areas under MCG, Manesar Municipal Corporation (MCC), Sohna and Pataudi-Mandi municipal councils, Farukhnagar municipality and the rural blocks of the city, Sohna, Pataudi and Farukhnagar. The biggest share of designated locations is in the MCG area, which has six sites: the open ground near Vatika Chowk in Badshahpur, Sector 9 open ground, Babupur village stadium, HSVP ground in Sector 5, Gaushala ground near Mahavir Chowk and Leisure Valley ground in Sector 29. Sales from locations other than the 23 designated sites will not be permitted.MMC area has two sites — opposite the tehsil office in Sector 2 of IMT Manesar and near the power house in Garhi Harsaru. In the rural areas, two sites each have been identified in Gurgaon and Farukhnagar blocks, while Sohna block has three. Pataudi block has one site at Govt Senior Secondary School playground in Bhora Kalan. The remaining sites are Devi Lal Stadium in Sohna, Ramleela Ground in Pataudi, MLA School playground opposite Peeli Dharamshala in Heli Mandi, the new grain market in Pataudi (subject to market committee permission), the community centre near Jhajjar Road in Farukhnagar and Fazilpur crossing in Farukhnagar.The administration has made it mandatory for cracker boxes to be completely sealed and carry unique QR codes for each product and batch. Deputy commissioner Uttam Singh said licences of eligible traders had been temporarily restored for the sale of green crackers until Nov 6, in accordance with Supreme Court directions. Only green crackers certified by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) and manufactured by producers licensed by Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) can be sold.The administration has also imposed strict restrictions on the use of firecrackers. Residents will be allowed to burst only approved green crackers on Nov 7 and 8, between 6am and 7am and between 8pm and 10pm. Their use will be prohibited within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centres, old-age homes, educational institutions and notified silence zones.District- and block-level monitoring teams have been constituted to check compliance, inspect sales points and ensure that only approved products are being sold. Crackers containing barium, non-NEERI-approved products and joined firecracker strings will remain prohibited. The temporary relaxation will end on Nov 8. From Nov 9, a complete ban on the manufacture, storage, sale and use of all types of firecrackers will come into force again. Violators face seizure of stock, cancellation of licences and legal action under the relevant provisions. In 2014, the administration had identified five locations across the district, including Leisure Valley, Sector 5 HUDA grounds, Gaushala Maidan, Tau Devi Lal Park and Ramlila Maidan in Pataudi. In 2020, the administration had also designated eight locations, but specifically for bursting crackers, not their sale.
