As India celebrates Chhath Pooja and Kali Pooja, several states and Union territories in India have announced a total ban on popping all forms of firecrackers and their sales due to the rise of COVID-19 and the constant increase in air pollution.
Delhi / NCR
The National Green Court (NGT) has announced a total ban on the sales and outburst of all types of firecrackers in the National Capital Region from midnight on November 9 to November 30. Also, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has imposed a complete ban on firecrackers. from November 7 to November 30 in Delhi. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced this decision after a high-level meeting with Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and the magistrates. The Union Environment Minister Gopal Rai has warned that violators will be charged under the Air Act.
Haryana
On November 6, the Haryana government announced a total ban on setting off firecrackers due to the coronavirus and air pollution. However, two days later, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar took a U-turn and relaxed the order to allow firecrackers to go off for two hours on Deepavali night. CM Khattar shared this decision on Twitter.
Rajasthan
Ahead of all states, Rajasthan’s chief minister, Ashok Gehlot, imposed a total ban on the sale and explosion of all forms of firecrackers and explosives during Deepavali. On November 2, Mr. Gehlot tweeted: “The state government has made a decision to ban the sale and setting off of firecrackers to protect the health of patients and the public infected with COVID-19 from the poisonous smoke emanating from the Fireworks. At this challenging time in the crown pandemic, protecting people’s lives is paramount for the government. “
Chandigarh
The Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is also the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, has banned the sale and use of firecrackers.
Chhattisgarh
The Chhattisgarh government issued permission to set off green firecrackers during Deepavali, Christmas and New Years in places that have been declared moderate air quality. Cookies are allowed from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwal, from 6 am to 8 am at Chhath Puja, from 8 pm to 10 pm in Gurupurab, and from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am on New Years and Christmas.
west bengal
The Kolkata High Court ordered a ban on the sale and popping of firecrackers during Deepavali, Chhath Pooja, Kali Pooja and Kartik Pooja to control air pollution and COVID-19. Judge Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee ordered that the same guidelines that were in effect during Durga Pooja now be followed to restrict the crowd boundary. If someone is found violating the Superior Court order, they will be sentenced to 6 months.
Sikkim
Under the order of Chief Secretary SC Gupta, the Government of Sikkim banned the sale and explosion of firecrackers throughout the festival season to protect active and recovered COVID-19 patients. He said, “a significant number of COVID-19 patients have recovered. But increased air pollution from cookie burning can prove dangerous to recovered and active COVID-19 patients. “
Nagaland
The Nagaland government has banned firecrackers across the state until January 31 next year. In a notification, Chief Secretary J. Alam attributed the decision to an increase in COVID-19 cases and respiratory problems faced by the elderly, children, and people with multiple medical conditions.
Jharkhand
According to the guidelines of the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board, Secretary Rajiv Lochan Bakshi said that people can pop cookies from 8pm to 10pm in Deepavali. However, green cookies will only be allowed in urban areas in districts where the level of contamination is moderate. This includes Palamu, Ranchi, Bokaro, Ramgarh, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Giridih, Seraikela-Kharswan, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Godda, Deoghar, Sahibganj, and Pakur.
Odisha
On November 3, the Odisha government banned the sale and setting off of all types of firecrackers across the state from November 10 to 30. Under the order of the state government, offenders will be punished in accordance with the Disaster Management Act of 2005 and other relevant laws.
Madhya pradesh
The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that there will be no ban on selling or popping firecrackers in the state. However, “Chinese firecrackers” will not be allowed, he said on Twitter. He also said that the sale of firecrackers with images of Hindu gods and goddesses will not be allowed.
Maharashtra
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has not imposed any ban per se, but urged people to celebrate Deepavali with “self-discipline.” The civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced a ban on popping cookies in public places during Deepavali. However, they relaxed the order of Laxmi Pujan, which falls on November 14, and gave permission to blow up small firecrackers such as fuljhadi (sparklers) and anar o paus (fountain) inside private premises.
Karnataka
After an initial statement on the ban on firecrackers, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa backed down, saying that the Karnataka government would only allow green cookies to protect COVID-19 patients. He called for Deepavali to be celebrated simply with eco-friendly firecrackers.
Andhra Pradesh
The Andhra Pradesh government has not imposed any ban on the sale and popping of crackers, but has instructed that only green crackers be sold or used. The duration of the cookie burst is limited to two hours: from 20 to 22 hours in Deepavali.
Tamil nadu
Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, set times to set off firecrackers across the state. Firecrackers can only be popped between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. According to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) guidelines, prior permission is needed to pop cookies in locations public.
(With input from Samyuktha Sivakumar)
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