Bokaro: The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has urged Jharkhand government to avoid complete ban on firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali. To evade the false propaganda in terms of ill effects of firecrackers. Similar requests have been made by SJM to the governments of West Bengal and other states also.
For some time, without any factual information, governments have been taking action like banning all types of firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali, which is completely inappropriate. It has to be understood that till now the pollution caused by firecrackers was primarily due to illegally imported firecrackers from China.
Jharkhand’s regional convenor of SJM, Sachinder Kumar Bariar said “there has been pollution due to the mixing of potassium nitrate and sulfur in Chinese firecrackers. However, in green (pollution-free) firecrackers made in India today potassium nitrate and sulfur are not mixed, and other pollutants such as aluminum, lithium, arsenic, mercury and others have been reduced to the minimum”.
He added, “It is noteworthy that these firecrackers are certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- NEERI and cause a minimum of 30 percent less pollution. Since the Indian government has imposed an effective ban on Chinese firecrackers, it is completely unfair to impose complete ban on all types of firecrackers on Diwali”.
SJM leaders said “we should not forget that in Tamil Nadu (Sivakasi), West Bengal and many other parts of the country, livelihoods of nearly one million people depends on firecracker industry. Throughout the year, these people wait for Diwali to sell their firecrackers. In such a situation, it is not prudent to ban green firecrackers which are less polluting without any scientific basis”.
SJM has also urged the Central Government to inform the National Green Tribunal about the real pollution effects of green firecrackers. It is a matter of regret that government agencies have failed to solve the problem of stubble burning, in various parts of the country, including Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, due to which the pollution in the capital and surrounding areas is continuously increasing and has crossed the danger mark.
SJM asked governments to make efforts to find a permanent solution to the problem of pollution of stubble burning. SJM pointed that the Supreme Court in its order in October 2018 has given permission to fire crackers for two hours on the occasion of Diwali, keeping in view the tradition of burning firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali and the livelihood of lakhs of people engaged in cracker production.
SJM pleads to the governments of Delhi, Rajasthan, Orissa, West Bengal, Karnataka and all other state governments, which have imposed a complete ban on firecrackers, to revoke the same, in view of the spirit of the Supreme Court order, minimal pollution by green firecrackers and the livelihood of millions of people.
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