New Delhi (NVI): Two days before Diwali, the Telangana high court today ordered a complete ban on the sale and purchase of firecrackers for the rest of the year citing the Covid-19 pandemic.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy also ordered the state government to immediately impose the ban and close the shops which are selling fireworks throughout the state.
Furthermore, the court asked the government to give wide publicity to content on ill-effects of bursting firecrackers during the pandemic via electronic and print media.
Earlier, the the National Green Tribunal had declared a complete ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the national capital region from midnight of November 9 till November 30.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel clarified that the direction will apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during November (as per available data of last year) fell under the ‘poor’ and above categories.
Several states and Union Territories in India, including Delhi and Maharashtra, have decided to impose a ban on firecrackers and its sale due to an increase in air pollution and a fear of spike in coronavirus crisis in the country during the winter season.
-CHK
