To curb the use of crackers before the Christmas and New Year festivities, the Ahmedabad city police have come up with a stern directive that allows bursting only the eco-friendly green crackers and specifies that the bursting of fireworks must be done within a given time limit. The decision will curb the air and noise pollution and, at the same time, avert the danger to people during the festive season.
The residents will be permitted to burst green crackers on the intervening nights 24-25 December (Christmas) and 31 December -1 January (New Year), only for a duration of 35 minutes according to the official notification. The approved time has been fixed as 11:55 pm to 12:30 am in both instances. Firecrackers exploding during any period other than this will be taken as an order violation.
It has been made clear by the police that green crackers approved by the Supreme Court shall only be allowed. Such crackers will produce less smoke and other harmful contaminants than traditional fireworks. The sale, storage, and use of traditional, high-decibel crackers such as series crackers and other fireworks that are noise-intensive have been highly banned.
In addition to this, the order prohibits bursting crackers within 100 metres of quiet areas, such as hospitals, schools, courts, and religious sites. It is also not allowed around petrol pumps, gas installations, busy markets, lanes, warehouses with flammable materials and airports. Besides this, the operation of sky lanterns has also been banned entirely within the city since it poses the danger of fire accidents.
The sale of firecrackers shall be done under licensed physical shops only and not through online sales through e-commerce sites. Violators have been warned that justice will be served upon them in accordance with applicable sections of the law.
Experts claimed that the action is guided by the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal policies, whose main objective is to reduce the levels of pollution, particularly in winter when the quality of air is generally poor. The limitations would help to balance between letting citizens enjoy and safeguarding both their health and the environment of the citizens.
The Ahmedabad police have urged the people to be cooperative with the administration and celebrate well. The citizens have been encouraged to adhere to the regulations and not to make unnecessary noise, and the importance of safety, primarily the safety of children, elderly people, and individuals with respiratory conditions.
The imposed restrictions are supposed to be maintained during the festive season, and the police groups will be distributed throughout the city to enforce strict compliance with the guidelines.
