GUNTUR: The Police, Revenue and Fire department officials have said that anyone intending to set up cracker shops during the Diwali festival in the district must get relevant permissions. “If anyone establishes shops without permission, the authorities will take stern action against them. The owners, who are interested to establish cracker shops at their places, have to apply for temporary licence at revenue office on or before October 16,” they said.
The revenue officers have already started ‘single window’ system to sanction licences along with Police, Fire, Municipal and APSPDCL officials. The wholesale dealers must renew their licences at the earliest.
The Fire department officials have already given instructions to wholesale crackers and retail shop owners in the district about fire safety norms. The shop owners must maintain sand stocks, storage of water and fire extinguishers nearby their shops to prevent any untoward incidents.
The licensees should establish the shops with cement asbestos roofs at select places. As per the instructions of officers concerned, the shop owners should not keep cracker stocks without permission. The officials will give the permissions after verification of fire crackers shop licences and provide space at identified vacant places to establish the shops.
Guntur urban and rural SPs Ch Vijaya Rao and Ch Venkata Appala Naidu have asked the shop owners to take permission from the departments concerned for setting up cracker shops in the district. District revenue officer K Naga Babu reviewed with other department officials and said that wholesale dealers should issue cash receipts during business with retailers and allot shops for licensees by lottery system.
District fire officer V Srinivasa Reddy said 18 wholesale shops have got permission to do business in the district. As per the available information, approximately 350 shops have been established in the district and accordingly 18 fire station officers will give permissions after conducting verification.