Karnataka permits only eco-friendly crackers for Diwali, gives 2-hr window to burst them. Details

Karnataka CM mandates eco-friendly crackers for Diwali, ensuring safety and environmental protection.

Published on: Oct 28, 2024, 17:30:07 IST

By Yamini C S

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In view of the Diwali festival, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced that only eco-friendly green crackers should be permitted for sale in the state. He emphasized the importance of ensuring there are no injuries, damages, or fatalities related to firecrackers in the state while addressing the deputy commissioners from all districts, news agency PTI reported.

Bengaluru residents can burst crackers between 8 pm to 10 pm this Diwali, according to a Supreme Court ruling. (HT File)

“Deepavali is approaching. The Supreme Court has given guidelines on what kind of crackers should be burst. Only green crackers should be sold and they should be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm,” Siddaramaiah said after the meeting, as quoted by the agency.

The deputy commissioners have been tasked with inspecting firecracker shops throughout their jurisdictions.

ALSO READ | New vigilance team in Bengaluru to enforce firecracker safety rules ahead of Diwali: Report

“The district officials should register cases against shopkeepers who sell crackers other than green ones, if they do not follow safety regulations, do not sell them at the designation place and do not have proper warehouses to store them,” the CM said.

Highlighting the need to safeguard the environment, he added, “I have also informed the DCs that there should not be any harm, injuries or deaths due to crackers in their districts.”

This comes on the heels of the establishment of a vigilance committee in Bengaluru to enforce stricter regulations on the sale of firecrackers in the city ahead of the festival of lights, aiming to ensure compliance with safety rules. G. Jagadish, the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner, spoke to reporters about the matter and emphasized the necessity for officials to conduct thorough spot inspections before granting permission for any firecracker sales.

The initiative comes in the backdrop of a tragic incident in Attibele last year, where a fire at a cracker storage facility resulted in the loss of as many as 17 lives.

(With inputs from PTI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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