Illegal firecracker sales are thriving in NCR’s back-alley warehouses despite a ban on conventional items. Sellers near Jama Masjid use fake green labels to evade police. DCP Niharika Bhatt said the police recovered 1300kg of firecrackers recently. Vendors continue to operate openly, ignoring court rules to make quick money.

In front of Jama Masjid’s Gate no. 13, a man appeared to be selling green crackers to a family from Pitampura. But within minutes, he pulled out rockets and snake tablets — conventional firecrackers that are banned in the city. The boxes, however, had “green” written on them, though they did not carry the QR code to prove their certification.

The cart owner, Rajkumar, said, “I hardly get a week to make sales. We earn ₹40,000 a day and, for that too, I have to move the cart around multiple times to evade the police. I also have to celebrate Diwali and make enough sales. It’s very tough to procure the items now. My brother-in-law gets it from Ghaziabad.”

14-year-old Rachit’s father, Sharad Joshi, who was buying him firecrackers, said they buy a small quantity every year. “We heard it was legal now to buy. Shops are selling here. The police are also doing nothing. Also, we are buying today to burst crackers on Diwali. Nobody can go and shop on that day.”

DCP (north) Niharika Bhatt said the police has recovered close to 1300kg of firecrackers from the district in the past two weeks. She said, “We are cracking down on vendors and taking action across markets at Lahori Gate, Chandni Chowk, Bara Hindu Rao and other areas.“

On Monday, the Supreme Court permitted the sale of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between November 4 and 6 and their bursting only between 6am and 7am and 8pm and 10pm on November 7 and 8. However, HT reported, notwithstanding the court’s directions, that firecrackers were being sold openly in Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Shastri Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and New Friends Colony, among other places up to two weeks ahead of Diwali.

Just outside the Jama Masjid police station, two carts were selling firecrackers for a few hours in the day, without being caught.

A seller there, who refused to be named, “I am only selling green crackers. We don’t know whether the QR works or not. I have sold toys as well but during the festive season, we switch to selling firecrackers. Last year, I made ₹1 lakh a day but this, I’ve only made ₹10,000-20,000. People are also scared. We are scared as well. I move the cart so I don’t get caught”

When asked for a response, a senior police official at Jama Masjid said that they had recovered over 120kg of firecrackers in a single operation recently. “We don’t have enough strength to go out and check each and every shop. We are focusing on big vendors and catching them as soon as we get information. I’ve not seen any cart outside the station selling firecrackers. They may have poppers but those are not harmful,” the officer added.

At Sadar Bazaar, more than 12 shops were found selling firecrackers in a single lane, most of them openly.

One shopkeeper, Shashwat Mishra, said they had started selling firecrackers since Dussehra in mid-October. “But it’s become very difficult. The guidelines keep changing, the rules keep changing.”

A student, Aishwarya Singh, was carrying her haul of firecrackers concealed in a black backpack. “I’m not buying big crackers. Just a few items for my brother and I.”

A vendor said, “It’s a festival and everyone wants to buy the firecrackers. The shops are known to locals and those who come from far. It’s peak season and many kids are coming to buy packs of firecrackers. We only sell green firecrackers. I don’t sell anything illegal.”