The Bengal government has asked the district magistrates to ensure that licences for green cracker units are issued within seven days in case the applicants fulfill the criteria.

The decision takes into consideration the thousands of people in the state who depend on fire cracker units, which do brisk business during the festive season, for their livelihoods.

During a meeting held on Friday, Bengal's chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi asked district magistrates to be proactive in giving licences within seven days as complaints were being received that many who applied for green cracker licences had to wait for weeks or even months.

“This will hurt the initiative of the government to convert all illegal and hazardous fire cracker units into licensed green cracker units following two major explosions at illegal units in Egra and Duttapukur in recent times. Many have already applied for green cracker licences. The target is to issue required licences to those who fulfill all the criteria,” said a senior government official.

The district magistrates have been asked to check if an applicant has enough space to set up a unit and if the proposed site is not in a densely populated area before issuing a green cracker licence.

“These two are the main criteria.... All others can be developed with the passage of time. The prime target is to give licences as early as possible so that people who depend on the units can earn their livelihood ahead of the festive season,” said a source.

Following the explosions in the illegal firecracker units, which took more than 16 lives in two explosions, the state government asked the police to ensure that no illegal firecracker unit is allowed to run.

“But at the same time, the state government wants to give the units a chance to convert themselves to licensed green cracker units as many people depend on them to earn their livelihood. The government wants a smooth transition from illegal cracker units to licensed green cracker units,” said a source.