Vijayawada: NTR district collector G Lakshmisha has directed officials to maintain constant surveillance over the illegal storage and sale of firecrackers ahead of the Diwali festival on October 21. He warned that strict action would be taken against those violating regulations, including license cancellation, shop closure, and criminal proceedings.
The collector issued these instructions during a video conference held on Thursday with officials from various departments — Revenue, Police, Fire Services, Disaster Management, Municipal Administration, Health, Civil Supplies, and Electricity — to review firecracker storage and sale arrangements for the upcoming festival.
Dr Lakshmisha stated that with Diwali approaching, there is a likelihood of traders engaging in large-scale illegal hoarding and unauthorised sales of firecrackers.
He informed that permissions for temporary firecracker shops in urban and rural areas would be granted only after thorough joint inspections by teams comprising officials from the Revenue, Police, Municipal, Fire, Civil Supplies, and Electricity departments. He instructed the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) to prepare open grounds suitable for setting up these shops, in line with Town Planning reports.
He made it clear that traders must obtain a license from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate before starting sales, and warned that unauthorised storage or sale of firecrackers would invite stringent action. Referring to the Gymkhana Grounds fire accident, where two people lost their lives in the past due to safety lapses, the Collector stressed the importance of preventing such incidents through proactive safety measures.
Dr Lakshmisha directed Fire Department officials to station fire engines near sale centres and ensure the availability of firefighting equipment. Electricity officials were instructed to carry out inspections in advance to prevent short circuits and related accidents.
He also ordered full compliance with all 23 recommendations made by the One-Man Enquiry Committee, including ensuring a minimum distance of 3 metres between shops, avoiding face-to-face alignment of stalls, and maintaining at least 50 metres of distance from residential areas.
Further, he emphasised that no more than 50 shops should be allowed in a single cluster and that import and export of firecrackers should take place only during non-peak hours. Those found keeping stock beyond permitted limits would face severe penalties.
The meeting was attended by Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner Dhyanchandra HM, DRO M Lakshmi Narasimham, DCP KGV Saritha, Fire Officer Shankar Rao, VMC Fire Officer Naresh, RDOs K Chaitanya and K Madhuri Balakrishna, DMHO M Suhasini, and other officials from Revenue, Police, and Fire Departments.
