'Complete ban on firecrackers in NCR from November 9-30'

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal on Monday ordered imposition of a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the national capital region or any other city or town across the country where the average ambient air quality from November 9-10 to the midnight of November 30-December 1 falls under the 'poor' and above category. A bench of NGT Chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel passed the order on a batch of petition seeking remedial action against the use and sale of firecrackers amid the double whammy of pollution crisis and rising coronavirus infections.

The green tribunal emphasised that citizens were entitled to breathe fresh air, a right cannot be defeated on the ground that enforcement of such right will lead to the closing of such business activity.

It ordered, "There will be total ban against the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the NCR from midnight of November 9-10, 2020 to the midnight of November 30-December 1, 2020, to be reviewed thereafter." National capital region includes Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Bhiwani, Karnal, Sonipat, Meerut, Hapur, CharkiDadri, Panipat, Rohtak, Jind, Bhagpat and Bulandshahr. However, the Haryana Chief Minister ManoharLalKhattar on Sunday announced that people are allowed to sell and burst firecrackers for two hours on Diwali.

These directions will also apply to all the cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during November, as per the available data of last year, falls under the 'poor' and above category.

"The cities or towns where air quality is 'moderate' or below, only green crackers be sold and the timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to two hours during festivals, like Diwali, Chatt, New Year or Christmas Eve etc., as may be specified by the concerned state," the green court added. (IANS)

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