USE OF ONLY GREEN CRACKERS TO BE ALLOWED FOR A VERY SHORT DURATION  ON DIWALI, GURPURAB, CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR: MEET HAYER

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER APPEALS PEOPLE TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY FIRE CRACKING*

Chandigarh, October 27 (Naresh Sharma ):

Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, will strictly allow use of only green crackers for a very short duration on Diwali, Gurpurab, Christmas and New Year.

Divulging more details, the Enviornment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said that in compliance of various directions by Hon’ble Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal (NGT), Punjab & Haryana High Court and Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the state government is encouraging use of green crackers. He said that as the festive season of Diwali, Gurupurab, Christmas and New Year Eve is approaching during which the lScience, Technology and environment department will allow only green crackers that do not use barium salt or compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead or strontium chromate. Meet Hayer said that only green crackers can busted on Diwali (from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm), Gurpurab (from 4:00 am to 05:00 am and from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm), Christmas eve (from 11:55 pm till 12:30 am) and New Year Eve (from 11:55 pm till 12:30 am).

The Minister said that the manufacture, stock, distribute, sale and use of joined fire crackers (series crackers or laries) is banned in the State. He said that it has also been directed that the sale shall be through licensed traders for the permitted fire crackers only. Meet Hayer said that no e-commerce websites including Flipkart, Amazon and others shall accept any online orders and effect online sales within the State of Punjab.

The Minister said that the Punjab Pollution Control Board has been directed to carry out short term monitoring in the selected cities of the State. He said that the police authorities shall ensure the sale and use of allowed green fire crackers during the permitted time and at designated places adding that any violation of the directions will invite immediate penal action.

Meet Hayer also appealed the general public to encourage community fire cracking at pre-identified areas/fields designated by the concerned authorities.