Why single us out in the name of pollution, ask cracker traders after ban
Firecracker traders on Friday said the Supreme Court order will hit their business hard.
Firecracker traders on Friday said the Supreme Court order will hit their business hard.
The court had on Friday suspended the licences of all firecracker sellers in Delhi-NCR with immediate effect till further orders, virtually banning their sale and purchase.
They traders alleged that they were being “singled out” as the main cause of air pollution in Delhi. They demanded that the same criteria should be applied to polluting factories and vehicles as well.
“There is no doubt that crackers cause pollution, but for a day. Many aspects are responsible for pollution which needs to be taken into consideration,” Rakesh Verma, owner of Verma Fireworks in Chandni Chowk.
The ban would be a major shock to those who have stock worth crores. The apex court order has come in the aftermath of the worst smog spell in the Capital in the first week of this month. Verma said the smog was also caused by the burning of crop stubble in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab.
Read More: SC orders ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR to curb rising air pollution
“No such rule can curb pollution in Delhi. Measures must be implemented on all fronts,” said traders. They said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal implemented odd-even scheme but it proved a “failure” since it was implemented in isolation.
Himanshu Sen, owner of Angad Fireworks said, “We were already facing losses because of demonetisation. Now, this order will also affect us. It’s true pollution has increased but crackers solely cannot be held responsible for that.”
In Ghaziabad’s Farrukhnagar-Asalatpur area, a major hub of crackers business with 64 shops having a permanent licence, the traders said the SC ban would impact 20,000 people involved in the business. “The court should have considered the livelihood which will be affected of the families that are involved in crackers business. We will soon hold a meeting of manufacturers from the NCR and consider moving court in appeal,” said Asif Ali, a firecrackers seller in the area.
Rahim, a firecracker manufacturer, said their business had gone down by 60% due to lean wedding season owing to demonetisation. “The sales have already plunged. The SC order would be a major setback for labourers who work at our units. Their families will also suffer,” said Rahim.