NGT bans sale & use of crackers in Delhi; BJP leader & firecracker traders stage a protest

National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday imposed a total ban on the sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi from midnight of November 9 to midnight of November 30. This decision was announced to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from worsening and due to the poor air quality in the National Capital. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel informed that this order will also apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average Air Quality Index (AQI) during November (as per available data of last year) falls under 'poor' or 'worse' category. 

The order released by NGT read, "The cities/towns where air quality is 'moderate' or below, only green crackers be sold and the timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to two hours during festivals, like Diwali, Chatt, New Year, Christmas, etc, as may be specified by the concerned state."

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NGT bans use & sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR

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Speaking further about the ban, NGT said that these restrictions are optional for the authorities at other places, but if there are more stringent measures under orders of authorities, these ban orders will prevail. It said, 'The Chief Secretaries and DGPs of all the States and Union Territories may issue and circulate an appropriate order in above terms with appropriate enforcement guidelines to all the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police, PCBs/PCCs.' These officials will continuously monitor the air quality during this period and update the data on their respective websites, it added. 

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Apart from Delhi-NCR, the Governments of Odisha, Rajasthan Sikhim, UT of Chandigarh, DPCC and Calcutta High Court have also banned the sale and use of firecrackers from November 9 to November 30 in areas where air quality is 'poor', 'very poor' and 'severe'. These orders came after experts informed that increasing air pollution can aggravate the risk of COVID-19. 

BJP leader protest against ban on firecrackers

BJP leader Vijay Goel along with firecracker traders on Sunday held a protest against Delhi government's decision to ban the sale and use of crackers (including green crackers). In the protest, Goel along with tradesmen demanded compensation from the government for causing a loss to their business.

Questioning the decision of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leader asserted that this sudden decision of the government has put the lives of many businessmen at stake. He also said that if the government had planned to impose such a ban, then why did it issue the license to firecrackers sellers to sell green crackers in Delhi two months earlier. 

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(With ANI inputs)