Government today said possession and sale of fireworks of foreign origin in India are illegal and punishable under the law. <br/><br/>The Commerce and Industry Ministry in a release said information about possession or sale of illegal fireworks may be reported to the nearest police station for suitable action. <br/><br/>Recently, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion had received a number of complaints regarding clandestine import of fireworks of foreign origin under false declarations. Various fireworks associations have time and again raised this issue, saying these smuggled items include potassium chlorate, which is a dangerous and hazardous chemical and can ignite or explode spontaneously.<br/><br/>Fireworks in India have been declared as restricted item in respect of import by director general of foreign trade. Till date, no licence for import of fireworks has been granted under the Explosives Rules 2008.