Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday said the Delhi Police and sub-divisional magistrates have been asked by the Delhi Government to keep a round-the-clock vigil to prevent the sale, purchase and bursting of firecrackers on Diwali, with a special focus on border areas.
He also said the police has so far seized 12,957 kilograms of crackers and booked 32 people during the anti-crackers campaign.
“The Delhi Police and SDMs have been directed to keep 24x7 vigil to prevent the purchase, sale and burning of firecrackers. A special vigilance campaign will be run in the border areas. The DPCC has issued instructions in this regard,” a statement quoted the minister as saying.
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On October 27, Rai had launched the 'Patakhe Nahi Diya Jalao' campaign to create awareness against burning of crackers.
Action is being taken under relevant provisions of the IPC and the Explosives Act against anyone found burning crackers under the campaign.
The city government has formed 15 teams at the district level to create awareness among people and to monitor sale and purchase of firecrackers. Additionally, all the 157 police stations in the national capital have a two-member team.
Over 800 kg firecrackers were seized from central Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar on Tuesday, an official statement said.
According to the statement, the central district administration received information about illegal sale of firecrackers in Sadar Bazaar following which a team of officials under the supervision of District Magistrate Akriti Sagar was constituted.
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The team projected as vendors from Haryana who wanted to purchase firecrackers from Delhi. The decoy team reached at the godown at Mahavir Bazar, Teliwara, Sadar Bazar and met Mohammad Izaj, a resident of Bihar. After reaching the spot, they found two rooms full of firecrackers weighting around 879 kg, it stated.
Thereafter, the team informed the local police. The police were handed over the seized firecrackers and directed to take action under appropriate sections of law, it said.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced a ban on firecrackers on September 15, saying it was "essential to save lives"
Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on September 28, ordered a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in the national capital till January 1, 2022.
(With PTI Inputs)
