Post-NGT order, Andhra Pradesh mulls firecracker ban

Amaravati: The state government is contemplating a ban on firecrackers during the forthcoming Deepavali festival in the wake of the order issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) completely banning the fire crackers in the cities and towns where the quality of air is very low.

It may be recalled that several states have already imposed ban on fire crackers keeping in view the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country.

The chairman of the National Green Tribunal Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel issued orders on Monday imposing ban on fire crackers in the national capital region (NCR) following the drastic fall in the quality of air. The NGT also imposed similar ban on various towns and cities throughout the country where the quality of air is low.

The NGT in its order made it clear that the state governments should fix particular time to use fire crackers during Deepavali, Christmas and New Year celebrations and if particular time is not fixed the fire crackers must be used between 8 pm and 10 pm on Deepavali and Guru Purnima and from 6 am to 8 am during Chhath Puja.

The NGT also said that the only green firecrackers should be sold in the towns and cities where the low quality air is prevailing.

It is apt to recall that the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation had already banned both sale and use of firecrackers in its limits on Monday.