E-Paper
Green crackers permitted in UP for 2 hrs in areas with moderate/better air quality
District administration officers have also been directed to follow the NGT order in which it has directed that there will be a total ban on sale and use of all kinds of fire crackers in cities and towns, where the ambient air quality falls under the poor and above category
LUCKNOW Uttar Pradesh will permit use of green crackers during Diwali celebrations for a duration not more than two hours in areas where air quality is moderate or better.
This will be as per the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), passed on December 1, 2020 and the Supreme Court order passed on July 23 this year over the sale and use of green crackers during festivity for a stipulated time frame during the Covid pandemic, said Awanish Kumar Awasthi, additional chief secretary, home, in a letter to all divisional commissioners, DMs, IGPs, DIGs, police commissioners and SPs.
The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) is monitoring the air quality of 27 cities. From January to September, the air quality of Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Sonbhadra, Gajraula, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Varanasi, Noida, Firozabad, Jhansi, Khurja, Prayagraj, Meerut, Moradabad, Bareilly, Rae Bareli, Mathura, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Unnao, Greater Noida, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Ayodhya was found moderate, he said.
The Supreme Court, in its order, has made it clear that if the air quality of an area is moderate or better then local authorities can give permission for the sale and use of the green crackers, he added.
District administration officers have also been directed to follow the NGT order in which it has directed that there will be a total ban on sale and use of all kinds of fire crackers in cities and towns, where the ambient air quality falls under the poor and above category.
The NGT has ordered for restricted use of fire crackers in cities and towns where air quality is moderate or below to green crackers only for duration of not more than two hours, only for celebration of any specified festivals or permitted occasions. Such festivals will be specified by the states. Other than specified festivals, prior permission of the district magistrate of the area will be required for use of crackers for limited period.
Green crackers are produced with less harmful raw materials, in accordance with instructions issued by the top court, and are made in a way that suppresses the dust when they are burnt – thus reducing emissions. They also do not contain harmful chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, barium, and lead and instead release water vapour that does not allow the dust to rise.
Although still impactful on the climate to an extent, these green crackers are believed to cause 30% less particulate matter pollution than traditional crackers and are thus considered generally less harmful than their conventional alternatives.
