Banning of firecrackers on Deepawali is not appropriate: Swadeshi Jagran Manch

Swadeshi Jagran Manch urged all the state governments to avoid complete ban on firecrackers on the occasion of Deepawali, bypassing the false propaganda in terms of ill effects of firecrackers.

“For some time, without any factual information, governments have been taking action like banning all types of firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali, which is completely inappropriate. It has to be understood that till now the pollution caused by firecrackers was primarily due to illegally imported firecrackers from China. There has been pollution due to the mixing of potassium nitrate and sulfur in Chinese firecrackers. However, in green (pollution-free) firecrackers made in India today potassium nitrate and sulfur are not mixed; and other pollutants such as aluminum, lithium, arsenic and mercury etc. have been reduced to the minimum. It is noteworthy that these firecrackers are certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- NEERI and cause a minimum of 30 percent less pollution,” SJM stated in a press release.

Since the Indian government has imposed an effective ban on Chinese firecrackers, it is completely unfair to impose blanket ban all types of firecrackers on Deepawali. We should not forget that in Tamil Nadu (Sivakasi), West Bengal and many other parts of the country, livelihoods of nearly one million people depends on firecracker industry. Throughout the year, these people wait for Deepawali to sell their firecrackers. In such a situation, it is not prudent to ban green firecrackers which are less polluting without any scientific basis. On this occasion, we also urge the Central Government to inform the National Green Tribunal about the real pollution effects of green firecrackers. It is a matter of regret that government agencies have failed to solve the problem of stubble burning, in various parts of the country, including Punjab, Haryana and Delhi; due to which the pollution in the capital and surrounding areas is continuously increasing and has crossed the danger mark, said the statement issued by Dr. Ashwani Mahajan, SJM national co-convenor.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch also urged all state governments to make efforts to find a permanent solution to the problem of pollution of stubble burning. “Swadeshi Jagran Manch wishes to underline that the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order in October 2018 has given permission to fire crackers for two hours on the occasion of Deepawali, keeping in view the tradition of burning firecrackers on the occasion of Deepawali and the livelihood of lakhs of people engaged in cracker production.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch pleads to the governments of Delhi, Rajasthan, Orissa, West Bengal, Karnataka and all other state governments, which have imposed a complete ban on firecrackers, to repeal the same, in view of the spirit of the Honorable Supreme Court order, minimal pollution by green firecrackers and the livelihood of millions of people,” the statement further added.