The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said that the people of the state would be allowed to burst only green crackers for the festival of Diwali for two hours -- between 6am and 7am and from 7pm to 8pm -- on November 4.
The time slots continue to remain the same since 2018 in the state following the Supreme Court verdict in 2018 in which it directed that crackers be manufactured using raw materials that cause less emission and recommended the manufacture and sale of green crackers.
While asking the public to stick to the mentioned time slots for bursting crackers on the Diwali day, the state also said that bursting of crackers should be avoided in “silence areas” like hospitals, schools, courts and religious places, near huts and other fire-prone areas. It also said that joined firecrackers (serial crackers) which cause “huge noise pollution” should be avoided.
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“People are advised to celebrate the festival responsibly so that their action does not lead to environmental pollution,” the government said in its press release. “Government of Tamil Nadu is making a sincere appeal to people to celebrate the festival of lights in harmony with nature,” it further said, wishing everyone a “very Happy Green Deepavali.”
{{/usCountry}}“People are advised to celebrate the festival responsibly so that their action does not lead to environmental pollution,” the government said in its press release. “Government of Tamil Nadu is making a sincere appeal to people to celebrate the festival of lights in harmony with nature,” it further said, wishing everyone a “very Happy Green Deepavali.”
{{/usCountry}}Further, the government also said that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) would continue its awareness-creation activities this year along with several sectors of the society. “TNPCB shall take action to create awareness among the public through Schools, Colleges, Eco clubs and National Green Corps (NGC) with the help of School Education. Higher Education Departments. Micro. Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department, Director General of Police, all District Collectors, Director of Environment and Commissioners of all Municipal Corporations in Tamil Nadu at State Level,” the government said.
Earlier on October 15, chief minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to his counterparts in four states -- Delhi, Odisha, Rajasthan and Haryana -- which had then imposed a ban on firecrackers. He said that a blanket ban on firecrackers was “not reasonable” and when other states implement such a ban, it would severely impact the firecracker industry in TN’s Sivakasi.