Prayagraj: With city police inviting applications for temporary firecracker shop licences ahead of Diwali, professionals, including corporate employees and degree holders, are joining traders in seeking the licence. Fire department officials said they have been inundated with applications as the Nov 3 deadline for submissions approaches.Officials in the fire department said the number of applicants seeking temporary firecracker shop licences this year has risen sharply compared to the past three years. The applicant pool now includes corporate employees from Prayagraj working in metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, as well as professionally qualified degree holders. While officials prefer to grant licences to experienced traders familiar with fire safety norms and licensing requirements, a large number of newcomers are also vying for permits amid intense competition.A senior cop told TOI that “the fire department is flooded with applications seeking temporary licence to operate firecracker shops.” He added that “this year, apart from traditional firecracker dealers and traders, corporate employees and professional degree holders are also in queue.”When cops asked corporate employees the reason behind seeking temporary licences, they justified that they always come to their native towns for Diwali celebrations and are willing to set up temporary shops to earn profits.Claiming that traders dealing in firecrackers do brisk business during Diwali, the lure for hefty profit has invited more people to apply for the temporary licence. The final list of temporary licence seekers will be out on Wednesday. The sale of firecrackers will be operational from Nov 6 to 9.Meanwhile, around 800 temporary firecracker shops would come up across the district for Diwali. Madhukar, an employee of a Pune-based firm, told TOI: “What’s wrong in it if we apply for temporary licence to set up firecrackers. It’s a good opportunity for us to earn profits.”