GURUGRAM: A truck loaded with more than 500 kilograms of firecrackers filled in plastic sacks was intercepted by a Gurugram police team on Wednesday before it could reach Delhi, where the consignment was to be offloaded at multiple points. The driver and his assistant, who were allegedly transporting the crackers from Rajasthan, have been arrested, police said.
The sale and burning of firecrackers have been banned both in the capital and in NCR cities because of high pollution levels but, as reported by TOI on Wednesday, its sales continued in the black market with orders being taken online and being delivered to local dealers and even to homes of individuals.
According to police, the Sector 10 crime unit had received a tip-off that a truck loaded with firecrackers was parked in the Shivaji Nagar area. On reaching the spot, however, the cops found the truck was carrying grocery items.
“We had credible information but did not have details like the vehicle’s registration number and its make. So, we searched the area and checked all the loaded trucks in the vicinity and finally spotted one parked near a godown. On checking, we found the vehicle was loaded with over 500 kg firecrackers packed in plastic bags. The entire truck was covered with a plastic sheet,” a police officer said.
Assistant commissioner of police (crime) Preet Pal Sagwan told TOI that the consignment was to be delivered at five different locations in Delhi. “The accused had planned to cross into the capital after midnight. As the sale of crackers is banned in Delhi-NCR, people have resorted to smuggling them from nearby districts and states,” the ACP said, adding that the police were trying to find out if the supplier had a valid licence to sell and supply firecrackers.
A case has been also registered under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) and The Explosives Act at Shivaji Nagar police station.
After the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) imposed a “complete ban” on the sale, storage and use of firecrackers till January 1, 2022, the Haryana government on October 31 imposed similar restrictions in its 14 districts that come under the National Capital Region (NCR), including Gurugram, to combat rising air pollution. All police stations across Gurugram have been directed to crack down illegal sale and burning of firecrackers on Diwali. Teams from respective police stations have also been directed to make rounds in areas under their jurisdiction during the festival.
