Madras High Court orders notice to officials on issue of Chinese crackers

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court today ordered issue of notice to Secretaries of Home, Industries and Commerce and Director of Explosives seeking their reply within four weeks on a petition praying for a direction to the Centre to impose conditions such as explosives license holders shall not sell Chinese fireworks.

Admitting a petition filed by one K Chitrai Jothi, a Division Bench of Justice M.Jaichandran and Justice R Mahadevan ordered notice issuance of to the officials.

The petitioner submitted that the government had realised that Chinese crackers were more harmful and had banned its import. Now apart from the ban, licensing authorities should impose additional conditions that licensees would not possess,sell show or exhibit Chinese fireworks in their premises.

Only such a condition would totally curb the import of Chinese crackers, he said.

He claimed that according to press report 2000 containers of illegally imported Chinese crackers were ready for distribution to temporary explosives license holders. Government should ban the sale of Chinese crackers by temporary license holders also, the petitioner added.