Haryana govt bans sale, use of all firecrackers in 14 NCR districts, cities with poor AQI

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], November 2 : The Haryana government on Monday banned the sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers in 14 National Capital Region (NCR) districts and in those cities/towns where the average ambient air quality during November last year was of 'poor' and above category.
The decision has been taken considering the possibility of elderly, children, persons with co-morbidities and others developing respiratory problems amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the approaching winter season
While informing the decision of the State Disaster Management Authority, an official spokesperson said, "There will be a total ban against sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in all the 14 NCR districts namely Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Faridabad, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Mahendergarh, Nuh, Palwal, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak and Sonipat."
"The direction above will also apply to all cities/towns in the state where the average of ambient air quality during November (as per available data of last year) is of 'poor' and above category," he added.
The spokesperson further said that during the approaching festive season people usually burst crackers which can adversely affect the respiratory health of vulnerable groups, besides aggravating the health condition of COVID-19 positive persons in home isolation.
"Accordingly, in compliance of the various directions of National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Supreme Court, while exercising the powers under Section 24 of the Disaster Management Act 2005, the State Executive Committee has issued the guidelines for strict implementation in the state," he said.
However, he informed that in the cities/towns where air quality is in the "moderate" category or below, the sale of only green crackers will be allowed. The timings for use and bursting of crackers have been restricted from 8 pm till 10 pm on festive evenings, while for the festival of Chatt, the same will be from 6 am to 8 am and on Christmas and New Year eve, when such fireworks start around midnight, it will from 11:55 pm till 12:30 am only.
The spokesperson said that Haryana State Pollution Control Board will issue the list of the above-mentioned cities and towns separately and will make the same available online on their website.
"In the areas where use and bursting of crackers are allowed, community fire cracking shall be promoted. Particular area/fields would be pre-identified and pre-designated by the concerned authorities immediately and the same shall be publicized for information of the public," he said.
"Even for marriages and other occasions, only green crackers are permitted," he added.
Further, it was informed that the sale of crackers shall only be through licensed traders.
"No e-commerce websites, including Flipkart, Amazon, shall accept any online orders and affect online sales," he said.