Residents, experts welcome firecracker ban in Delhi; traders complain

On a day when Delhi’s air quality took a nosedive to reach severe levels, the Delhi government’s announcement to ban firecrackers came as a whiff of fresh air for residents.

On a day when Delhi’s air quality took a nosedive to reach severe levels, the Delhi government’s announcement to ban firecrackers came as a whiff of fresh air for residents. Environment experts also welcomed the move, saying this was the only way to prevent an impending air emergency ahead of Diwali.

Environment experts also welcomed the move, saying this was the only way to prevent an impending air emergency ahead of Diwali. (File photo for representation)

Menaka Ray, general secretary of South Delhi Residents’ Welfare Committee, said 53 parents of children below the age of 5 years had sent out a joint petition to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to take action against cracker bursting ahead of Diwali this year. She said the move has come as a relief to all those parents and many others.

“My daughter was born with asthma and every year days before Diwali her condition worsens. Many parents like me are thankful for this move,” said Ray.

Kejriwal on Thursday said the decision to ban firecrackers was taken after assessing the Covid-19 situation, which was made worse by pollution.

Environment experts said while this ban shows intent on the part of the government, successful implementation can only happen with the participation of people.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said: “We need to be much more aggressive to control pollution. When you introduce such a ban, enforcement becomes tricky. People’s participation is of utmost importance now,” she said.

TRADERS UPSET

But the news came as a shocker to cracker traders, who had already procured licences and had stocked up on permitted ‘green crackers’. “How can the government announce a blanket ban on all firecrackers with no warning? We had invested lakhs and now we are just left to fend for ourselves?” Tushar Ramdas, a wholesale trader said.

Many saw this as a rerun of the 2018 ban by the Supreme Court, which had left hundreds of traders in the lurch. “Many traders sell their wives’ jewellery and take shops on rent. How will these people survive now?” said Hardayal Singh from the Rajouri Garden cracker market association.

Senior officials said all 93 licences issued by the department for sale of green crackers are now cancelled.

ENFORCEMENT

A senior Delhi Pollution Control Committee official said implementation of the ban will begin. Delhi Police said they are awaiting for orders. Last year, police had arrested 261 people for selling or bursting illegal firecrackers on or ahead of Diwali and had registered 433 FIRs. They had seized 9,758 kilos of illegal firecrackers. Most of these FIRs and arrests had happened on Diwali night.