Authentic green crackers must carry logos of CSIR-NEERI and PESO, along with QR codes (Representative image)
TOI scanned cracker boxes at more than 15 shops and found that only a few were selling authentic green crackers, while the majority were selling illegal ones. A vendor showed TOI a box comprising 2,000 ladi s. Asked about ladi s of 5,000, the vendor said, “Come between 7 pm and 11 pm and you will get all crackers of your choice. The pricing was equally casual and negotiable: a banned ladi of 5,000 pieces cost Rs 2,000, a 1,000-shot or hazara Rs 500 and a 2,000-shot one Rs 800. A pack of 10 bombs was priced at Rs 200 to Rs 220.
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This is what buyers are encountering at most of Delhi’s roadside firecracker stalls, where conventional cracker boxes claiming to be “green”, “eco-friendly” and “pollution free” are being sold openly. Most had fake ones that led to generic webpages displaying a message: “You have successfully scanned a QR code”. Another vendor candidly said, “We don’t have a licence to sell crackers. Quizzed about green crackers, a shopkeeper said, “ Isme maza nahi aayega, ye humare layak nahi hai ,” suggesting that customers looking for a more potent experience should consider other options. Manju Sinha, a homemaker, said, “Since these boxes claimed the firecrackers are non-polluting, I purchased them.
NEW DELHI: A QR code that leads nowhere, fake green labels and banned conventional crackers with no details of their chemical composition. Authentic green crackers must carry logos of CSIR-NEERI and PESO, along with QR codes that lead to the product’s registration details with NEERI and chemical composition. TOI visited multiple markets, including Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk and an area near Jama Masjid, Wednesday, and found that only a few boxes of sparklers had genuine QR codes. At Sadar Bazar, vendors selling illegal crackers were lined up along both sides of the road as well as in the middle lane. Hardly any of them had licences issued by Delhi Police to sell crackers. Though the apex court has banned manufacture and sale of firecrackers joined in a series like ladis (garlands), they are available in the markets. As soon as a few policemen were visible, the vendors hurriedly packed up. After they left, they resumed selling the crackers. As one exits Chandni Chowk metro station, vendors and shoppers carrying large bags of fireworks are hard to miss. Shopkeepers and passers-by readily direct customers towards the lanes near Gauri Shankar Temple and Jama Masjid, where the sale is in full swing. At the entrance of the market, most products are displayed as green crackers, some bearing NEERI logos and certification stickers, while others appear to have dubious labels. As one ventures deeper into the crowded lanes, the nature of the wares changes. Vendors become forthcoming about conventional, high-polluting fireworks, including chatai s, sky shots and loud bombs. Most families purchasing crackers seemed to have no idea that the majority of the boxes had fake labels. Download the TOI App.
Because some chemicals like barium they contain are banned, conventional crackers, which Supreme Court has banned in Delhi-NCR, carried no information about their chemical composition, presumably.