Will this time ban the sale of firecrackers in 18 states including Delhi? NGT decides safe

The National Green Tribunal on Thursday reserved its verdict on the demand for banning the burning/breaking and selling of fireworks in the wake of pollution control and health of the people in 18 states and union territories including Delhi-NCR. The NGT on Wednesday sought response from 18 states and union territories, expanding the scope of the case from Delhi-NCR.

The NGT has issued notices to 18 states, including Bihar, Assam, Gujarat, seeking a ban on the sale and sale of firecrackers, to explain why the firecrackers should not be banned because of poor air quality. . The air quality is not satisfactory in the 18 states where the notice has been issued.

NGT chief Justice A.K. The Goel-led bench had said that it has already issued notices to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Also said that Rajasthan and Orissa do not need to issue notice, because the governments there have already issued notification to ban the sale and sale of firecrackers. The bench sought comments from Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. is.

The tribunal had said in its order that all concerned state governments, where air quality is not satisfactory, should consider banning the sale and production of firecrackers like Odisha and Rajasthan. The bench had said that there is no doubt that firecrackers are burnt on a large scale during the festive season and the toxic chemicals emanating from it cause public health, especially the elderly and children to face respiratory problems.

Earlier, the Tribunal on Monday demanded a ban on burning/bursting of firecrackers from 7 to 30 November because of pollution control and health of the people, Union Ministry of Forest and Environment, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) Asked for an answer. Apart from this, the bench has also issued notices to the Delhi Police Commissioner, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan governments seeking answers. The bench gave it on a PIL.

The petition calls for a ban on the use of firecrackers from 7 to 30 November because of the rapidly increasing pollution in Delhi-NCR and the ill effects on the health of the people. Along with this, the bench has appointed senior advocates Raj Panjwani and Shivani Ghosh as judges of justice in this case and has suggested suggestions on legal aspects and help the bench. The petition said that Delhi NCR has already become polluted and the air quality is very poor. It is also said that if the use of firecrackers is not banned, the situation will deteriorate as the number of corona epidemic patients increases.

The petition also cited statements by the Union Health Minister and the Delhi Health Minister that corona cases are likely to increase rapidly due to air pollution during the festive season.