Solapur to allot firecracker stalls by capacity this Diwali, all to move to Home Maidan next year

Ahead of Diwali, the Solapur Municipal Corporation has taken an important decision to settle the issue of firecracker stalls in the city. This year, stalls will be permitted at Veer Savarkar Maidan and the Park Stadium behind the Char Hutatma Putla only as far as the space there allows. The remaining stallholders will be given space at Home Maidan.

The firecracker stall association has agreed to shift all firecracker stalls in the city to Home Maidan from next year. The decision was taken at a meeting held in the Mayor's office, chaired by Mayor Vinayak Kondyal.

The administration made it clear that people throng to buy firecrackers at Diwali. While setting up stalls, therefore, public safety, access for fire brigade vehicles, the required open space and compliance with government rules will be considered first. If more stalls are set up than the space allows, an emergency could become difficult to handle and lives could be at risk. Mayor Kondyal said at the meeting that there would be no compromise on safety rules.

Space for selling firecrackers is given every year at Veer Savarkar Maidan and the area behind the Char Hutatma Putla. But the capacity of both places is limited, so this time only as many stalls as can be set up safely under the rules will be permitted. The association has been asked to give the municipal corporation the names of authorised stallholders already doing business at these places. A plan to allot space to eligible existing stallholders will be drawn up accordingly. The final allotment of stalls will be made only after the capacity of each site is fixed, which has made this list more important.

Ample open space must be kept at the selling sites so that fire brigade vehicles can move easily. The meeting also discussed keeping a safe distance between stalls, managing crowds properly and providing basic facilities for vendors. The corporation will permit stalls only after all rules are met.

Mayor Kondyal said large crowds gather at firecracker selling sites, so caution is essential. People's safety matters more than increasing the number of stalls. If stalls are set up in violation of the rules, a serious problem could arise in an emergency. Permission will therefore be given only after looking at the space available at each site.

Firecracker sellers begin preparing for business about three months before Diwali by buying stock. Had all stalls been suddenly moved elsewhere this year, vendors could have suffered financial loss. Keeping this in view, the administration decided to give space at the old sites this year to as many stallholders as capacity allows. The remaining vendors will get space at Home Maidan. From next year, arrangements will be made to shift all stalls to one place, Home Maidan.

Deputy Mayor Gyaneshwari Devkar, Leader of the House Narendra Kale, city president and corporator Rohini Tadlawkar, Additional Commissioner Veena Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijayalakshmi Kuri, City Engineer Neelkanth Mathpati and fire brigade department head Rakesh Salunkhe were present at the meeting. Firecracker stall association members Sunil Rasale, Basavraj Yerte, Gaurav Bendre, Anil Sawant, Sunil Katte, Sanmitra Katkar, Balasaheb Dargopatil, Manoj Jagtap, Suresh Chandragupta, Mauli Bhojrange, Ganesh Sathe, Ankita Bhujang and Ganesh Ghadge, among others, also took part.