Tag: Delhi bans firecrackers

Delhi Announces Complete Ban on Bursting, Sale of Firecrackers for 2021

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee banned the sale and use of firecrackers till January 1,2022, citing possibility of another surge of COVID-19.

New Delhi:  The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on Tuesday ordered a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in the national capital till January 1, 2022.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, had announced a ban on firecrackers on September 15, saying it was “essential to save lives”.

According to the DPCC order, several experts have indicated a possibility of another surge of COVID-19 and largescale celebrations by bursting of firecrackers will result not only in accumulation of people in violation of social distancing norms but also a high level of air pollution leading to serious health issues in Delhi.

Also read: Kejriwal Has a New Winter Pollution Plan for Delhi. It Should Focus More on Cutting Emissions.

The bursting of firecrackers under the prevalent pandemic crisis is not favourable for the cause of larger community health given the significant relationship between air pollution and respiratory infections, it said.

“There will be a ‘complete ban on bursting and sale of all kinds of firecrackers up to January 1, 2022, in the territory of NCT of Delhi,” the DPCC’s order stated.

The pollution control body has asked District Magistrates and Deputy Commissioners of the police to implement the directions and submit daily action-taken reports to it.

A few days ago, Delhi suggested its surrounding states to shift their public transport vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) to CNG and adopt a policy to promote electric vehicles. It had also urged the neighbouring states to emulate Delhi and ban firecrackers to tackle pollution.

Last year, the National Green Tribunal had imposed a total ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from November 9 midnight to November 30 midnight, saying “celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases”.

However, the day after Diwali, the city had recorded an overall air quality index of 414, which falls in the severe category. With people flouting the ban with impunity.

Delhi Govt Bans Storage, Sale and Use Firecrackers During Diwali

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that like last year, it was essential to implement the ban in order to save lives.

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Wednesday banned the storage, sale and use of firecrackers during Diwali owing to the “dangerous pollution levels” in the national capital around the time of the festival.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that like last year, it was essential to implement the ban in order to save lives.

“In view of the dangerous condition of pollution in Delhi during the Diwali period for the last three years, and like last year, a complete ban is being imposed on the storage, sale and use of all types of firecrackers. So that people’s lives can be saved,” he said in a tweet written in Hindi.

“Last year, a complete ban on firecrackers was imposed late after assessing the seriousness of the situation. This caused losses to the traders. It is an appeal to all the traders that this time in view of the complete ban, please do not stock,” he said.

Environment minister Gopal Rai said that the National Green Tribunal had called for a complete ban on firecrackers in poor air quality regions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also Read: As Delhi Declares Emergency Over Air Quality, a Look at What Needs to Be Done

“The data of CPCB for the last three years shows Delhi is almost in the poor pollution index. Last year, besides Delhi, other states such as Rajasthan, Orissa, Sikkim, West Bengal, Chandigarh, 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh had imposed a complete ban on firecrackers,” he stated.

Rai said that last year, the Delhi government decided in favour of the complete ban on November 6, which was just before Diwali.

“The Delhi Police had already issued temporary licences for sale of firecrackers and because of this, traders and dealers suffered losses. There were also incidents of bursting of firecrackers in Delhi by the residents due to easy availability. To avoid any such situation, we decided that the DPCC, like last year, will issue directions for complete ban on sale, use and storage of all types of firecrackers with immediate effect,” he added.