Punjabis openly defy high court orders; ‘Green Diwali’ goes for a toss; pollution level doubled on diwali night
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ November 1,2024
Punjabis seems to have willfully defied the orders of high court to “use firecrackers to minimize pollution and adverse health effects during festivities”. Even pledges by students for celebrating “Green Diwali” all goes for a toss.
As per availble information, the residents start bursting crackers from 7 pm onwards on October 31,2024 and remained bursting around till 2:00 am. Even healthy people experienced breathing discomfort, irritation in eyes.
As per sources, “the average quality index (AQI) or in simple words the pollution level in Patiala remained 125 in whole October 2024. But on the Diwali Night (October 31) it doubled and even crossed 250 marks. The air quality turned into heavily polluted with bursting of crackers and increased vehicular traffic on the roads during the festive day. The AQI in Amritsar crossed 300 marks. The AQI in most of the Punjab remained between 200-300 brackets due to pollution.”
Harsehaj, a student said “the pollution has already changed the seasons in a number of ways like winters are becoming shorter, summer season time is increasing, glaciers are melting, tsunamis/ floods are increasing, rains in desert areas are creating havoc, temperature is increasing, wild fires are increasing etc. By bursting crackers in uncontrolled manner, shedding self responsibility to save environment, farm fires, etc are further deteriorating the situation.”
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh to ensure strict compliance with Supreme Court guidelines on the use, sale, and purchase of firecrackers before the beginning of festival of lights-Diwali.
The order came during a hearing of a PIL filed by advocate Sunaina in last week of October 2024, who sought steps to enforce the Supreme Court and High Court’s directions on firecracker use to minimise pollution and reduce adverse health effects during festivities. Sunaina argued that air quality in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh has been steadily deteriorating. She urged that strict adherence to the courts’ guidelines would help improve environmental quality and public health.
Punjab government had imposed ban on the manufacture, stockpiling, distribution, sale and use of joined firecrackers (series crackers or laris) during Diwali. Only “green crackers” (those free from barium salts or compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead or strontium chromate) were permitted for sale and use. Sales were estricted to licensed traders dealing exclusively in permitted firecrackers and storing, displaying or selling firecrackers exceeding permissible decibel levels is prohibited. But all these precautions go for a toss in Punjab.
The government has established limited time windows for firecracker use during festivals. On Diwali (October 31, 2024), firecrackers are allowed from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. But, the residents seem to willfully defy the orders and burst crackers from 7 pm till 2 am.
Even Deputy Commissioners were instructed to conduct extensive public awareness campaigns highlighting the harmful effects of firecrackers. Law enforcement agencies were tasked with ensuring that the sale and use of permitted green firecrackers occur only during designated times and at approved locations. But all instructions seem to remain in papers only.
Punjabis openly defy high court orders; ‘Green Diwali’ goes for a toss; pollution level doubled on diwali night. Even the farm fires added woes, as highest 484 cases were recorded, the single day spike in the year.
