Steel city police raided the premises of six firecracker dealers at Jugsalai and seized goods worth several lakhs on Sunday evening,

Dhalbhum sub-divisional officer (SDO), Nitish Kumar said the raid was carried out keeping in mind the densely-populated nature of Jugsalai.

"The Jharkhand High Court directive prohibits sale of explosives in heavily populated areas. The cracker dealers where the raids were conducted had overstocked crackers for Diwali," he said. The SDO added that this was the first of a series of raids to be conducted ahead of Diwali.

The dealers have been booked under relevant sections of the Explosives Act.

The raid comes at a time when firecrackers dealers are waiting for an approval from the administration for storing and sale of fireworks.

Following the Jharkhand High Court's ruling issued in 2003, the district administration every year asks cracker dealers to stop hoarding or selling crackers in congested areas.

Notices are being served to all license holders, despite which several dealers continue to violate norms.

All the police stations have been asked to keep an eye on cracker traders and dealers.

Jugsalai has been at the centre of illegal fireworks dealings for years, with transactions amounting to crores.

As shops and manufacturers vie with each other to provide customers with bigger and louder firecrackers, local anti-noise activists worry that this year too many bombs will go off with deafening bangs.