Firecracker Ban Orders Across India on Diwali 2020: From NGT Directives for Delhi NCR to Fixed Timings in Haryana, Karnataka, Here’s All About Rules in Different States

New Delhi, November 9: Ahead of Diwali 2020, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday imposed a total ban on the sale and use of firecrackers in NCR. The NGT also ordered a similar ban in all cities and towns where air quality falls below 'poor'. In NCR, the ban on firecrackers will come into effect  from midnight of November 9 to midnight of November 30, 2020. Moreover, the NGT also directed all states/UTs to gear up and start drives to curb the menace of air pollution from all sources.

The bench said at other places, ban/restrictions are optional for the authorities but if there are more stringent measures under orders of the authorities, the same will prevail. "The cities/towns where air quality is ''moderate'' or below, only green crackers be sold, and the timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to two hours during festivals like Diwali, Chhath, New Year and Christmas Eve etc., as may be specified by the state concerned", the order said.

At present, the state governments in India have their own guidelines with regard to allowing or banning the sale and use of firecrackers during the festive season.

Delhi-NCR

On Monday, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) from the midnight of November 9 to the midnight of November 30. The NGT further added that in cities where the air quality is 'moderate' or below, only green fire crackers will be sold during Diwali, Chhath, New Year/Christmas Eve as may be specified by the state, ANI reported. Firecrackers Ban in Delhi: SOPs to be Issued Today, Violators May Face Rs 1 Lakh Fine.

Haryana

After two days of announcing a 'complete ban' on the sale of firecrackers, the Haryana government on Monday allowed bursting firecrackers for two hours from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali and Gurupurab, and from 11.55 pm till 12:30 am on Christmas and New Year's eve. The decision has been taken in view of the rising levels of pollution while adhering to the guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to decrease air pollution. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday in Fatehabad said people will be permitted to burst firecrackers for only two hours on Diwali.

West Bengal

In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Calcutta High Court has banned the use of firecrackers in West Bengal on Diwali, Kali Puja. Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay had said that with everybody's cooperation, we want to hold the Kali Puja and Diwali festivals avoiding firecrackers. The administration appeals to people to avoid firecrackers. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government had appealed to people to refrain from burning firecrackers but issued any order.

Odisha

The Odisha government banned the sale and use of firecrackers across the state from November 10 to 30. The state government said that it has prohibited sale and use of firecrackers in public interest considering the potentially harmful consequences of burning of crackers amidst COVID-19 pandemic situation and approaching winter. Chief Secretary AK Tripathy issued a direction to prohibit sale and use of firecrackers in all parts of the state from November 10 to 30.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had issued directions to ban the sale of firecrackers and restrict their use to protect COVID-19 patients and the public from their ill-effects. "In order to protect the health of COVID-19 infected patients and general public due to poisonous smoke emanating from firecrackers, strict action has been taken to prohibit the sale of firecrackers in the state and restrict the movement of vehicles without fitness certificate," Gehlot tweeted.

Karnataka

The state government of Karnataka has allowed the usage of 'green crackers', as per Supreme Court guidelines during Deepavali. While announcing the decision, the Karnataka government stressed on restrictions to contain the coronavirus infection. The decision came hours after Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had indicated that the state would ban fireworks due to the pandemic. With the new order in place, only green crackers will be sold from November 7 to November 16.

Chandigarh

The sale or use of firecrackers has been completely banned in Chandigarh in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, an official said here on Friday. The directions have been given as a containment measures to prevent the risk of spread of COVID-19 due to pollution caused by bursting of firecrackers, UT Adviser Manoj Parida said.

Maharashtra

Ahead of Diwali, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday announced a ban on use of firecrackers and fireworks in Mumbai. The decision follows the state government's appeal to citizens to avoid bursting firecrackers this Diwali. The civic body said that the step was being taken to check coronavirus spread and has now permitted use of 'mild firecrackers' on Laxmi Pujan (November 14), saying Mumbaikars can use 'anar' (cracker known for a sparkling display and showers of coloured sparks upwards) and fulzadi (sparklers) at their private premises on that day.

Punjab

The state government of Punjab told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that there is no need for a ban on use of firecrackers as no part of the state falls in the National Capital Region (NCR). It added saying that Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) have been installed in the non-attainment cities of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Patiala, Jalandhar and Khanna and the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the range of good in August, satisfactory in September and moderate in October.

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Last week, the NGT had sought response of the environment ministry and the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, the Central Pollution Control Board, the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee on whether the use of fire crackers should be banned from November 7 to 30.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 09, 2020 01:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).