The Uttarakhand government has permitted the sale of only green crackers in cities including Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Haldwani Rudrapur and Kashipur. It has fixed a time slot of 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali and Gurpurab during which the crackers can be burst. On Chhath, green crackers can be used from 6 am till 8 am.
Earlier on Monday, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) till November 30 midnight. It had said that "celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases." The bench headed by NGT chairperson also said that the direction would apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during 2019 was in "poor" and above categories. The NGT had also directed all states and Union Territories to initiate special drives to contain air pollution from all sources in view of the potential of aggravation of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, traders and shopkeepers in Delhi said their Diwali has gone up in smoke after the ban and that they will face huge losses as crackers worth lakhs of rupees have already been stocked by them. The traders and shopkeepers in Jama Masjid and Sadar Bazar areas, two of the biggest firecracker markets in the national capital, said the stock was meant for a brisk sale on Diwali, Chhath, Gurupurab and the coming marriage season.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Calcutta High Court order banning the sale and use of firecrackers in West Bengal during Kali Puja, saying preservation of life was more important amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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