Firecrackers have been banned in Delhi, West Bengal and Rajasthan (Representational)
Kolkata:
Firecrackers have been banned in West Bengal on Diwali and Kali Puja in view of the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world. The Calcutta High Court passed the order after several pleas appealing for a complete ban on firecrackers in order to control air pollution which is hazardous for COVID-19 patients.
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government had also requested people to refrain from burning firecrackers. Bengal joins Delhi, Odisha, Rajasthan and Sikkim to ban firecrackers due to coronavirus.
“With everybody’s cooperation, we want to hold the Kali Puja and Diwali festivals avoiding firecrackers. The administration appeals to people to avoid firecrackers,” Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay had said.
However, a fireworks makers’ association in the state urged the authorities to reconsider the move saying the livelihood of lakhs were at stake.
The president of ”Poschim Bango Atosbazi Unnayan Samity” Babla Roy said that the livelihood of around four lakh people will be at stake if manufacture and the sale of fireworks is stopped, news agency PTI reported.
Mr Roy had urged the Chief Minister’s Office to grant permission to burst crackers for 2 hours on Kali Puja and Diwali. He had also demanded a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to firework dealer, numbering over 53,000.
Environmentalist Ajoy Kumar Dey on Tuesday filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court seeking a complete ban on the sale and burning of all kinds of fireworks during Kali Puja and Diwali this year in view of the pandemic.
West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) sources told news agency PTI they are mulling over steps, in coordination with police, to enforce the government advisory especially in suburbs and apartments.
