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Pune eco-activists welcome SC decision on crackers
Step in the right direction, say environmentalists, but raised questions and implementation of the Supreme Court order.
The Supreme Court’s verdict on use of firecrackers was welcomed by the city environmentalists on Tuesday. People can burst low-emission firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm this Diwali, the Supreme Court ordered, ruling against a blanket ban on fireworks.
Vivek Bodhankar, an ecology expert from Sagarmitra Abhiyan Organisation, said that the decision is a is a small step in the right direction of protecting the environment.
“Law does not immediately ensure change, but it creates discussions and arguments in which the issues of old and sick people and children, birds and animals terrified of explosions, are mentioned. Children will bring more support and families change when children change,” he said. Sagarmitra Abhiyan has over 2 lakh schoolchildren as members.
Anant Gharat of My Earth NGO, also praised the court for the decision. However, he raised questions about the effective implementation of the decision. “It is not clear who will be monitoring the defaulters and punish them. Whether it’s the MPCB, police or Pune municipal corporation (PMC) officials, the authorities should not allow anyone to violate the rules, otherwise the decision will remain on paper only. Secondly, this rule should not be restricted only to the Diwali period and should be applicable during Christmas and New Year celebrations as well,” he said.
VM Motghare, Maharashtra pollution control board (MPCB), joint director (air pollution control), said,“We have initiated campaign a to record noise levels at various locations in the city from November 1. Through this, we will record noise levels before, during and after the Diwali festival.”
The Supreme Court’s verdict came on a petition against the sale of crackers by Delhi residents Arjun Gopal, 3, Aarav Bhandari, 3, and Zoya Rao Bhasin, 5, and their parents. The top court ordered that the firecrackers should not be too noisy or polluting. It ordered the petroleum and explosives safety organisation (PESO) to give clearances to crackers only if they meet noise and emission standards.
However, Harish Jalan, proprietor of Jalan Fireworks and member of the fireworks vendors’ association, said that there is nothing new in the court verdict and it won’t affect their sales.
“The rules and regulations on timing, low emission and low decibel firecrackers was issued in 2015. We have already started working and manufacturing firecrackers as per the norms. Even the demand for noisy firecrackers is declining and skyrockets are more in demand now,” said Jalan.
