NEW DELHI: BJP leader Vijay Goel on Sunday staged a dharna demanding that the Delhi government compensate traders who have suffered losses due to a ban on firecrackers. Goel said he was not against the ban but it should have been announced six months ago.
“The Delhi government has failed to combat pollution in the city and has made firecracker traders a scapegoat. I am not against the firecracekr ban but it should have been announced six months back, not two days ago,” he said.
The former Union minister was accompanied by BJP MLA Anil Bajpai, Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh president Devraj Baweja and other trader leaders.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), too, demanded said states that have banned sale of firecrackers should compensate firecracker traders for the losses suffered by them due to the ban.
In a statement, it said that CM Kejriwal and CMs of other states should “compensate the firecracker traders for the losses they have accrued due to the ban”.
The CAIT also termed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s cracker ban order dated November 6 as “null and void and a blatant violation of order of Supreme Court”.
In 2018, the SC had banned polluting crackers and allowed ‘green crackers’.
Police seize 600 kg of firecrackers
The Delhi Police has arrested seven people and seized around 600 kilograms of firecrackers being sold illegally in the national capital from their possession, officials said on Sunday.
“Police recovered 593.224 kg of firecrackers and arrested seven people. Also, eight cases were registered against the bursting of crackers and a person was arrested with 1 kg of fireworks,” Additional PRO of Delhi Police Anil Mittal said.