Buy fast, cops will be here: Illegal crackers fly off shelves as cops themselves shop

The festive bustle of Diwali has taken over Delhi's biggest firecracker market, Sadar Bazar, but there's another kind of spectacle unfolding in the streets. Firecrackers are being burst right in the market even as shoppers navigate its narrow lanes. Sellers themselves demonstrated their products to prospective buyers, and the smell of gunpowder hung in the air. On Friday morning, the day of Dhanteras, Delhi's biggest wholesale market for firecrackers, was already sounding like Diwali night.Amid the crowd, however, there was little to suggest that the Supreme Court's restrictions on firecrackers were being taken seriously. Neither those enforcing the restrictions nor the shopkeepers and consumers they are meant for. Stalls were selling firecrackers with QR codes that offer no information when scanned, unfamiliar and questionable brands, and fireworks that don't meet green-cracker standards.Moreover, India Today Digital also found China-made firecrackers, with labels and instructions in Mandarin, being sold across the market.What made the scene particularly striking was that Delhi Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were present in the area. However, India Today Digital found no meaningful checks on the questionable firecrackers being sold openly, or on whether the products carried the requisite green certification. This was unfolding even as Delhi's AQI crossed 700 on Friday morning. The capital is battling extremely poor air quality, while the very restrictions intended to prevent an additional pollution burden during the festive period appeared to have little visible impact on the wholesale market.In a four-hour visit to Sadar Bazar on Friday morning, India Today Digital came across only three shops in Sadar Bazar selling firecrackers that appeared to meet the prescribed certification requirements. The rest of the market was dominated by products whose green credentials could not be established. India Today Digital also purchased firecrackers that did not meet the basic requirements of certified green fireworks, including products with QR codes that returned no information upon scanning. India Today Digital scanned the QR codes on more than two dozen firecracker boxes, but only one displayed a valid certificate with all the mandatory details. Some firecracker boxes did not even carry the mandatory QR code.These findings on the ground point to a glaring disconnect between the Supreme Court's November 2 order permitting certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR and what is actually happening in the markets. The problem is not merely that questionable products are being sold. There also appears to be little understanding, among sellers and those expected to enforce the restrictions, of what makes a firecracker green in the first place.When we asked a minor boy selling firecrackers if a particular product was a green firecracker, his response was telling. "No, it will give you red sparkles and lights," he said. Street vendors without licences to sell fireworks had also joined the trade, openly selling crackers on Sadar Bazar's streets in violation of strict licencing rules. (Image: Anand Singh) DELHI POLICE, CRPF, CISF PRESENT ON GROUND, BUT WHO IS CHECKING THE FIRECRACKERS?The presence of three security forces, the Delhi Police, CRPF, and CISF, in Sadar Bazar did little to reassure buyers that the products being sold were being scrutinised. The personnel of the three forces were seen in the market everywhere, but India Today Digital did not witness them checking QR codes, examining certification documents or questioning sellers about the legitimacy of their stock.When asked whether the police were checking the sale of illegal firecrackers, a Delhi Police personnel stationed at the T-point in Sadar Bazar's main lane instead began advising me on how to transport the crackers to Noida safely. He suggested taking an autorickshaw, saying the "Metro would not allow firecrackers on board." The personnel also warned me against carrying them on Indian Railways, where carrying them is prohibited.In fact, some police personnel appeared to be more interested in buying firecrackers than checking their sale. A police personnel spotted by India Today Digital during his patrol was on a video call, apparently showing someone the firecrackers and seeking their opinion on whether he should buy them. CRPF personnel patrol Delhi's Sadar Bazar on Dhanteras morning, on Friday. (Image: Anand Singh) COPS CLEARED THE STREETS ONLY WHEN SENIOR OFFICERS SHOWED UPIndia Today Digital also spoke to a permanent shopkeeper whose establishment was located in the heart of Sadar Bazar, with several sellers of questionable fireworks operating right outside his shop. The proprietor of Kaveri Jewellery, who requested anonymity, alleged that the authorities were well aware of the illegal firecracker trade but that enforcement was largely temporary.He recalled that a flag march had taken place in the market a couple of days earlier, on Wednesday, when senior police officers visited the area. During their presence, sellers dealing in illegal firecrackers were asked to move away from the streets.But the flag march did not yield much result.According to the Kaveri Jewellery proprietor, the sellers simply waited for the senior officers to leave before returning to their older spots. Some allegedly followed the officers as they moved out of the area and came back to resume business barely minutes after the senior personnel had left.The shopkeeper alleged that the local police knew exactly what was being sold and where. His account raises questions about whether enforcement operations are intended to ensure compliance or merely clear the streets temporarily when senior officers are around.The fact that sellers could allegedly return to their spots almost immediately after a flag march also points to the limitations of such short-lived enforcement exercises. A packed Sadar Bazar in Old Delhi on Dhanteras morning, with firecrackers, including Chinese-made ones, being sold openly across the market. (Image: Anand Singh) EVEN SELLERS DON'T KNOW WHAT A GREEN CRACKER ISThe most revealing aspect of India Today Digital's visit to Sadar Bazar was the apparent confusion over what constituted a green firecracker.We already saw how the minor boy was selling firecrackers and when asked if a particular product was a green firecracker, he said, "No, it will give you red sparkles and lights."An adult accompanying the minor told India Today Digital the same thing. These responses expose a major lack of awareness among sellers, even though minors selling firecrackers is illegal.The Supreme Court has not permitted the unrestricted sale and use of all fireworks. Its November 2 order specifically allows certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8, between 6 am and 7 am and 8 pm and 10 pm.The certification is linked to the testing and registration process involving the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and its National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), meanwhile, regulates explosives and issues licences to manufacturers.A QR code on a certified green firecracker is meant to help establish its credentials. It should display details such as the manufacturer's name, product category, function, PESO licence number, NEERI Green Fireworks registration number and marketer's information.However, India Today Digital found several products whose QR codes either returned no information or failed to display the required certification details. Some products carried codes that merely reproduced basic manufacturer information already printed on their packaging. Others appeared to have questionable branding, making it difficult for buyers to establish their origins and certificate.The confusion was not limited to the sellers. With police and other security personnel present but no visible verification of the products, there was little indication that the distinction between certified and uncertified fireworks was being actively enforced.There was also a commercial dimension to the problem. Non-green firecrackers, which produce louder sounds, were being sold at higher prices than the relatively quieter green alternatives. This creates an obvious incentive for sellers to push non-green conventional fireworks, particularly among buyers looking for louder and more elaborate celebrations.Another striking feature of the market was the widespread availability of Chinese-made firecrackers. From the beginning of Sadar Bazar to its other end, products with labels and instructions written in Mandarin were visible among the fireworks on sale.When asked where these products had been sourced from, sellers did not disclose their origins. The presence of such fireworks across the market raised further questions about their supply chains, regulatory compliance and how they had reached retail sellers in such quantities. Their Chinese origin alone does not establish their legal status, but their certification and import documentation are matters that authorities need to verify. Illegal firecracker stalls lined Sadar Bazar's streets on Dhanteras Friday. (Image: Anand Singh) BUY FAST, THE COPS MIGHT COMEThis was not the first time India Today Digital had encountered questionable firecracker sales in Sadar Bazar.During a late-night visit to the market on Wednesday, after midnight, the team was able to purchase both certified-looking and questionable firecrackers and examine their QR codes. Several of the codes failed to return the legitimate certification details needed to establish their green credentials.The atmosphere during that visit was markedly different from the bustle of Friday morning.Sellers operating on the streets were wary of being photographed and repeatedly urged customers to complete their purchases quickly."Please buy whatever you have to buy quickly, or the police will come and ask us to remove the shops or seize the fireworks. These firecrackers are not allowed to be sold, but we are selling them," a shopkeeper told India Today Digital.With Diwali approaching, the question is no longer simply whether green crackers are permitted. It is whether anyone on the ground is ensuring that what is being sold, bought and eventually burst is actually green. The Supreme Court has certainly laid down the restrictions, but neither those tasked with enforcing them nor the shopkeepers and consumers they are meant for seem to be abiding by them.- Ends