Bhubaneswar, November 3: Ahead of Diwali, the state government of Odisha on Tuesday banned the sale and use of firecrackers in the state. According to the latest order, the sale and use of firecrackers will be banned from November 10 to November 30. The order stated that the decision has been taken considering the potentially harmful consequences of burning of crackers amidst COVID-19 pandemic situation. Moreover, firecrackers have been banned due to the approaching winter season.

Apart from Odisha, several other states have also banned the sale and use of firecrackers. On Tuesday, the West Bengal government decided not to allow bursting of firecrackers during Kali puja and Diwali. West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said that this has been done to check air pollution, hazardous for COVID-19 patients. In Delhi, only 'green' firecrackers can be manufactured and sold, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday. He urged Delhiites to avoid bursting firecrackers as much as possible this Diwali in the interests of public health and environment.

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Meanwhile, the Haryana government on Monday declared possession and sale of imported firecrackers as illegal and punishable in the state. A spokesperson said that firecrackers cannot be imported without obtaining a license or authorization from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. In the recent years, no license or authority has been issued by the directorate-general for import of firecrackers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 03, 2020 07:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).