E-Paper
Gurugram: Bursting of crackers allowed for 2 hours subject to good air quality
The district administration issued an order on Saturday evening allowing residents to burst green crackers strictly between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali, which will be observed on November 4 this year, only if the air quality remains in the moderate zone or below
The district administration issued an order on Saturday evening allowing residents to burst green crackers strictly between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali, which will be observed on November 4 this year, only if the air quality remains in the moderate zone or below.
According to the order, which came into immediate effect on Saturday and will remain in force till 6am on November 5, sale and use of only reduced emission firecrackers or green crackers is allowed in Gurugram district.
The order, issued by deputy commissioner Yash Garg, mentions that following orders of the Supreme Court and Commission for Air Quality Management, “There will be total ban on sale and use of all kinds of fire crackers during Covid-19 pandemic in the NCR and all cities/towns in the country where the ambient air quality falls under the ‘poor’ and above category.”
Directions have been issued to allow only use of green crackers in cities/towns, where air quality is ‘moderate’ or below, for a duration of not more than two hours. “...celebration of any specified festivals or permitted occasions will continue,” said the order.
“The orders have been issued as a preventive measure and bursting of crackers will be allowed only if the air quality is in the moderate zone,” said an official from the district administration requesting anonymity.
According to experts, the air quality in the national capital territory is likely to dip to very poor category by November 3, a day prior to Diwali, and then increase significantly with particulate matter (PM) 2.5 as the predominant pollutant.
“The manufacture, sale and use of joined firecrackers [series crackers or laris) is hereby banned as the same causes huge air, noise and solid waste problems. The sale is permitted only through Iicensed traders... (who) can sell only those firecrackers which are permitted by the order of Supreme Court of India. Even those firecrackers which have already been produced and they do not fulfil the conditions mentioned in Suggestion Nos. II and III (that is green crackers) above are not allowed to be sold in district Gurugram,” said the order. In case of violations, people can register complaints by calling on toll free number 18001801817 or e-mail at cmc@mcg.gov.in.
According to the order, the deputy commissioner of police, Gurugram, commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, all sub-divisional magistrates, duty magistrates, and station house officers of Gurugram district shall ensure strict implementation of the order.
According to the directions mentioned in the order, “All the official respondents, and particularly the police, shall ensure... that there is no sale of banned firecrackers. In case any violation is found in the implementation of the order, the station house officer of the police station concerned... shall be held personally liable for such violation and this would amount to committing contempt of the court, for which such SHO(s) would be proceeded against.”
The regional offices of the pollution control board have also been directed to carry out short-term monitoring in the district for 14 days--seven days prior to Diwali and seven days after the festival--to check for parameters like emission of aluminium, barium and iron.
Kuldeep Singh, regional officer for Gurugram north, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, said monitoring of the above mentioned three parameters started on October 28 and will continue even after Diwali.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Gurugram recorded poor air quality for the second consecutive day with an AQI of 272 and PM 2.5 as the prominent pollutant.
