COIMBATORE: Traders who wish to set up temporary cracker shops for Deepavali say the Fire and Safety Services Department has changed its procedure to process no objection certificate (NOC) applications. Applications submitted to the fire station in one jurisdiction are sent to other stations for scrutiny and inspection, they said.
K Shanmugam (name changed), an applicant, said, “I have applied for a temporary cracker shop in Coimbatore South. But I have been directed to contact the fire service station of Peelamedu. Till last year, applications were handled in the fire station limits only.” He said the change in process forces applicants to travel for long distances. He also alleged that they had to pay Rs 10,000 as a bribe to get the NOC.
“Applicants were forced to bribe Rs 5,000 for getting NOC last year. Now, the amount has been doubled. We suspect the new procedure is implemented so that the money could be divided between officials equally in every fire station,” he said.
V Chinnusami, president of the Coimbatore District Firecrackers Welfare Association said, “Unlike last year, the applications are being sent to various stations which creates a burden on traders. Without a bribe, no application will get processed. Applicants pay bribes as they also violate norms. If anyone does not pay, they will face consequences. Norms will be strictly monitored in his shop.” He said around 430 people have filed applications seeking temporary cracker shop licences in the city limits so far.
When contacted, P Pulugandi, District Officer of Fire and Rescue Services said applications are sent for scrutiny to several fire services stations irrespective of the jurisdiction. “There are vacancies in fire station officer posts in a few stations. Also, few officers have gone to training programs. For this reason, the applications are sent to an office near the station for processing. For instance, an application under Ganapathy is sent to Peelamedu.”
Further, he denied allegations of officials demanding bribes to issue NOC. “There is no chance of demanding money for the process. If anyone demands a bribe, applicants can directly call me and make a complaint and I will take necessary action against them at the earliest.”