Bathinda reportedly witnessed firecracker sales worth nearly Rs 15 crore this Diwali, with an estimated average spending of Rs 2,000 per household, according to market estimates. Residents said crackers continued to burst across neighbourhoods well past midnight, with celebrations extending into the early hours.Some vendors estimated that nearly 75,000 households in the city spent an average of Rs 2,000 each on firecrackers. Despite the high prices this year, demand remained strong.According to market estimates, around 1.2 lakh locally manufactured ‘subi-wala golas’, priced at Rs 15 per piece, and nearly 10,000 ‘anars’, costing Rs 40 each, were sold. The city has two firecracker manufacturers and three wholesalers supplying the market.The scale of the trade was evident from the approximately 3,000 temporary stalls that reportedly came up across the city. However, only 39 had obtained official licences. Unauthorised vendors allegedly set up stalls in almost every street, with little visible checking by the authorities.An authorised retail vendor said, “As there was hardly any checking of unauthorised firecracker sales, vendors like us could not clear our entire stock.”Those who obtained licences reportedly spent around Rs 50,000 each for the three-day period, including the licence fee and other expenses.Local resident Gautam Singla said, “I bought firecrackers worth Rs 5,000 for myself and my sister, but the stock did not last until late at night. I had to buy more crackers worth around Rs 1,500. Diwali comes once a year, and that day we should forget about expenses and pollution.”Meanwhile, firecracker bursting continued in several areas even on Monday morning.