Groom, family booked for bursting firecrackers

Noida: An FIR was registered against a groom and his parents for bursting crackers during a wedding procession on Thursday night. The FIR was registered by the Sector

Noida: An FIR was registered against a groom and his parents for bursting crackers during a wedding procession on Thursday night. The FIR was registered by the Sector 49 police after area residents informed the police about firecrackers being burst during the wedding function.

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On October 25, the Supreme Court mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (Epca) had expanded on the Supreme Court ban on polluting crackers and abolished the use of all firecrackers in Delhi-NCR until further orders.

According to police, the wedding was taking place at a hall in Sector 51, Noida. Police have registered a case against the groom Akaash, mother Munesha and father Yogendra.

Police have registered an FIR under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. “The groom and his family were responsible for the incident. We will not tolerate any violation of pollution control and environment norms, given the heightened levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR,” Dharmendra Kumar Sharma, station house officer, Sector 49 police station, said.

Police have confiscated the empty firecracker boxes from the spot as evidence. The wedding function was interrupted by the police after it received the information about cracker bursting. Police said the offence entails a fine of ₹1 lakh and/or imprisonment of one year.

No arrest has been made yet. “We have only registered an FIR — by doing so we wanted people to know that nobody can violate pollution control norms,” Sharma said.

The District administration has been asked by Epca to intensify action against violators of pollution control norms. District officials have been spreading awareness on green guidelines in rural areas, especially details about the deadly impact of stubble burning on the environment and the legal action it will entail.