BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK:In the wake of a major fire which broke out in a cracker factory in Nayagarh recently, the Commissionerate Police has put in place stringent measures to prevent any untoward incident during Diwali.
On Monday, the Twin City police issued a host of mandates for firecracker shop owners who have acquired licence for business during the festival this year. The police will ensure that the licensed shops are constructed with tin or asbestos sheets and no two shops would be facing each other.
The floor area of these temporary shops must be in between 10 and 12 sq mt and these should be located at least 50 metres away from protected installations like electrical transformers.
The repository of crackers cannot exceed 100 kg for class 7 (sound emitting crackers) and 500 kg for Chinese crackers (light emitting, sparklers). A maximum of 50 shops can be set up in one cluster, the advisory stated.
Police have instructed shop owners to report any loss or theft of firecrackers to the nearest police station. The licensee should have a proper documentation of records and accounts of crackers in reserve and those which are sold.
Last year on Diwali eve, four persons were killed and as many injured in a mishap which resulted due to mishandling of a firecracker. The incident took place on the premises of a hotel near Khandagiri square in which two diesel generators exploded after a cracker landed on them, leading to the blast.