COIMBATORE: Ahead of the Deepavali festival, a few firecracker sellers who used to set up shops at wedding halls in violation of norms have switched to online sales in western Tamil Nadu.
According to posters that have come up across Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts announcing the online sales, firecrackers will be delivered for free across Tamil Nadu from units in Sivakasi through cargo services.
The advertisements fly in the face of a 2018 Supreme Court order that had banned the sale of crackers online by e-commerce majors and others across the country.
According to the SC order, firecracker sale must be carried out only by licensed traders and only approved firecrackers must be sold. No e-commerce websites shall accept online orders or carry out online sales.
Any e-commerce firm found selling crackers online will be hauled up for contempt and may also face penalties.
Offline retailers too voiced safety concerns about online firecracker delivery and wanted immediate police action.
“A few wholesale firms have put up posters in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts saying that they will sell crackers online sourced directly from Sivakasi. The advertisements also claim that crackers are being sold at a 300 per cent profit margin by retail shops, and offered 80 per cent discount on MRP rates online.
There is a ban on selling firecrackers online but they are blatantly violating it,” said V Chinnusamy, president, the Coimbatore district retail firecracker sellers association. “Despite the ban, they hired wedding halls and set up stalls last year. After we brought the issue to the notice of officials, they switched to the online sale which is also banned,” Chinnusamy said.
‘Orders being delivered through lorries posing risk to road users’
“Firecrackers should be sold only in retail shops after proper inspection and with the permission of various departments. Location, stock level, parking arrangements and several other issues are considered by police and fire safety departments before giving permission for cracker shops. These stipulations must be followed to avoid accidents. But in online sales, all these rules are violated,” Chinnusamy said.
Another retail seller M Vasanthakumar said “A few manufacturers have online facilities of their own. They deliver orders through lorries posing risk to other road users.” When contacted, one of the firms which had placed an advertisement for online sale said crackers would be delivered to the home through lorry service within a week of placing order. “We offer huge discounts on our website.
Once payments are made online, we will deliver them to all parts of Tamil Nadu within a week,” the firm said. “Earlier, we used to transport in buses. But due to restrictions, we are sending the consignments through cargo trucks. We will send each parcel separately.
If there are issues, we will share a pickup location where you can go and collect your order,” a staff of the firm said. Coimbatore City police commissioner V Balakrishnan told TNIE that he will initiate an investigation into the matter. “Legal action will be taken against those engaged in online sale,” he said.
Online websites can’t accept order
According to a 2018 order of the Supreme Court, the online sale of firecrackers is banned across the country. Firecrackers must be sold only offline by licensed traders. No e-commerce websites shall accept online orders or carry out online sales, the order said