Chandigarh, November 9: Ahead of Diwali, the Haryana government on has allowed bursting of firecrackers for two hours on Diwali. The state government of Haryana said that the use of firecrackers has been allowed across the state only for two hours between 8 pm till 10 pm on Diwali and Gurupurab, and 11.55 pm till 12:30 am on Christmas and New Year's eve. According to a government release, the Manohar Lal Khattar government in the state has taken the decision in view of the rising levels of pollution while adhering to the guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to decrease air pollution.

On Sunday, Khattar had told people in Fatehabad that they will be permitted to burst firecrackers for only two hours on Diwali. The Chief Minister added that  there has been a spike in coronavirus infections due to air pollution and hence decided to allow people to burst firecrackers only for two hours. Earlier on Friday, the state government had said it has decided to put a 'complete ban' on the sale of crackers in the state to check the coronavirus spread due to pollution caused by the bursting of crackers. Diwali 2020: BMC Announces Ban on Bursting All Fire-Crackers at Public Places in Mumbai.

The Chief Minister said that in order to reduce pollution and prevent the spread of the infection, restrictions have been imposed on the sale and bursting of crackers. In Haryana, 2,380 fresh COVID-19 cases have been reported on Sunday, taking its tally to 1,82,804. While 15 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,912, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.

Several states have banned the sale and use of firecrackers this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic and air pollution. Earlier in the day, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a total ban on sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi and adjoining areas starting midnight of November 9 to November 30.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 09, 2020 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).