AP govt asks Hudhud-hit districts not to burst crackers

As a precautionary measure, the Andhra Pradesh government has asked people in cyclone-hit Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh not to burst crackers on the occasion of Deepavali on Thursday.

The district administration was alerted by the government fearing large scale fire due to lakhs of dried up trees that collapsed during Hudhud’s landfall.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at a candlelight rally on Wednesday urged the people to celebrate Deepavali by lighting candles and to stay away from crackers as that could aggravate the situation by causing large scale fire that the already stressed out administration might not be able to handle. The fire department in Visakhapatnam city has seized firecrackers from several storage points and shops in the city and neighbouring Anakapalli town on Thursday. Around 40 fire tenders have been kept ready in case of emergency.

“The  collapsed trees have dried up. As the process of removing them will take some more time, we have urged people not to light crackers,” Director-General of Police Jasti Ramudu told media in Vizag. However, the police are worried about crackers that people have ordered online.

In Vizianagaram, the district administration has not issued any licences to firecracker shops this year as a precautionary measure.  The police have also kept an eye over the local cracker manufacturers who have enough stock to flood the market. In Srikakulam district, the police booked three people for storing crackers with the intention of selling them on Deepavali.