NOC must to sell or store crackers: High Court

Chennai, Sep 29 (UNI) Madras High Court today directed the Chennai Corporation Commissioner and the Police Commissioner to ensure that firecrackers are not sold or stored during festival season without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) or licence in any part of the city and any person found selling them in violation of the rules would be liable for prosecution and the fire crackers would be seized.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice K Chandru gave the above directives on a public interest litigation filed by K R Ramasamy of Chennai, seeking a direction to reconsider granting of licences for storing and selling crackers in the city, as per the specifications of Explosive Acts and Rules.

In its order, the Bench, besides imposing various conditions for the grant of licence, said for the Deepavali festival, the existing licencees shall be allowed to store and sell the fireworks, subject to the following conditions.

The licencees shall not store more than 1000 kgs of fireworks at any time, sufficient number of sand bags must be kept in the shop as directed by the Joint Chief Controller of Explosives and/or Commissioner of Police, the licencees shall make provisions for a water tank in the shop as may be determined by the authority and the licencees shall also have one or more fire extinguishers as may be directed by the Police COmmissioner, the Bench added.

The bench said it shall be the responsiblity of the police officer in charge of that area to ensure the compliance of the conditions. All pending applications for licence and renewal shall be considered and disposed of within eight weeks strictly in accordance with the rules.

The Chennai Corporation Commissioner and Police Commissioner shall consider whether it was possible to shift the present fireworks shop from the congested area to the open grounds within the city limits and to provide a fireworks booth system which was in operation in cities like Kolkatta and Bangalore,the Bench observed.

UNI XR VV PDM DB2047