Vijayawada: Finally, crackers sale begins in city

Vijayawada: Finally, the sale of crackers started in Vijayawada city at the Swarajya Maidan on Friday with the permission given by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, police, fire and other departments. Thousands of customers stormed at the 40 odd shops opened at the Swarajya maidan. The traders shifted to the makeshift shops arranged at the Swarajya Maidan.

Two days are not enough to sell the stocks worth lakhs of rupees. Due to administrative reasons, the permission was not given for the sale till Thursday night. Consequently, the traders waited till Friday to start the business. Compared to the previous year, the government is strictly implementing the rules as per the Covid guidelines. Shops are arranged with minimum distance as per the Covid guidelines. All traders were strictly instructed to sell only green crackers and people are asked to burst crackers between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali.

It was a disappointing day for the fireworks traders and buyers on Thursday as the permission was not granted till night. Each trader had paid Rs 70,000 in the form of fee and spent more than Rs 30,000 for setting up tent, chairs, tables, lighting and payment of wages to the workers. Compared to previous year, the number of stalls declined by nearly 50 percent this year and less than 50 shops were arranged.