In yet another glaring example of administrative lethargy, an urgent directive issued by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to crack down on unauthorised firecracker stalls erected on footpaths and public roads has remained entirely unheeded by zonal offices for over seven days. The NMC’s Fire and Emergency Services Department issued circular on October 29 to Assistant Commissioners of all ten municipal zones, alongside the Anti-Encroachment and Market wings.

 

The circular mandated an immediate joint survey and swift eviction of illegal temporary firecracker vendors encroaching upon footpaths, road junctions, and public thoroughfares. The directive flagged these unauthorised stalls as grave hazards endangering public lives and property due to explosive inventories, lack of mandatory Fire Department NOCs or police permissions, and severe obstruction of pedestrian pathways. However, a week after the order was formally communicated, unauthorised kiosks continue to flourish openly across major squares, busy markets, and walking strips, with zero enforcement conducted on the ground.

 

“Despite clear written directives from headquarters citing High Court orders, not a single coordinated eviction drive has been launched by the zonal authorities against these illegal cracker vendors,” a civic source admitted on condition of anonymity. “Footpaths and road margins remain blocked with flammable inventories. Zonal officials and anti-encroachment squads simply turn a blind eye, treating mandatory safety orders as mere paperwork.” This marks yet another instance where strict civic circulars have not been followed sincerely by the zonal administrations. With peak Diwali shopping drawing heavy crowds, this brazen defiance of safety regulations poses a severe threat to public safety and vehicular movement.