The Director of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized nine crores worth of China-made firecrackers, at the Inland Container Department in Tughlaqabad, near Delhi.
India has for long had a love-hate relationship with foreign firecrackers, especially Chinese ones. Despite continuous efforts by the government to crack down on China-made firecrackers, especially during the festive season, smugglers always try to find a way in.
This was demonstrated all too well when on Sunday morning, the Director of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized nine crores worth of China-made firecrackers, at the Inland Container Department in Tughlaqabad, on the outskirts of the Capital. Authorities said that the crackers—found in six containers, each of which was 40-foot-long—bore names like 'Leopard King' and 'Pop Pop Snappers.'
But it was no easy task to find them. The containers were packed with permissible items like bicycle, iron baskets, and steel wheel chairs among other things. It was only in the innermost carton that they found the banned fire crackers.
Authorities said the goods had been declared at Customs as medical equipment and bicycle parts for the physically challenged. This is how they were able to enter the country.
Sources in the DRI claimed the Chinese crackers were being trafficked by a Punjab based businessman Anil Singla. They added Singla, in active connivance with Delhi based custom broker Vikash Gupta, had used a dummy Import Export Code (IEC) code to bring the crackers into the country. Incidentally, Gupta is associated with a shipping company Falcon India Ltd. The DRI has arrested both Singla as well as Gupta.
This is not the first big haul of smuggled firecrackers into the country. In August, the DRI seized firecrackers worth Rs 7.2 crore in Mumbai port which were again loaded inside cargo containers labelled as "Adhesive Tapes" and "Badminton Rackets".
Fireworks are restricted for import under the Foreign Trade policy 2015-16. The Union Home Affairs Ministry has issued an advisory to states cautioning them about Chinese firecrackers, which are more likely to cause fire incidents than others.
This year, DRI has increased its surveillance to crack down such illegal smuggling of firecrackers. In Delhi, DRI officials say that Rs 11 crore worth of illegal firecrackers have been seized in the Capital this year.
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