In a bid to ensure a safe Deepawali this year, pollution control board officials in Karnataka have constituted a special task force to clap down on sellers of “non-green” firecrackers. This comes in the backdrop of a tragedy in Attibele recently, wherein as many as 17 lost their lives when a cracker go-down caught fire.
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The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) was spurred into action by a letter from a group – Compassionate City – of residents, in which they cited a Supreme Court ruling from October 2018 that bans non-green firecrackers across the country, specifies timings (from 8-10pm) to burst said crackers and disallows the selling or bursting of crackers near schools and hospitals, according to a report.
The residents urged officials to ensure safety and uphold air quality and noise pollution standards. The letter, submitted to Bengaluru top cop B Dayananda, read, “While this (SC ruling) has been in force for a while, the Supreme Court has put the onus of responsibility squarely on the police, specifically the station house officer (SHO). Therefore, it becomes even more critical to ensure that police can implement and work closely with the stakeholders to address and prevent any law breakage proactively.”
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Some members of the group met with officials of the KSPCB on October 10, after which authorities from various departments held a meeting on October 12 to discuss measures to ensure safe and eco-friendly festival celebrations. Departments including police, BBMP, fire, commercial tax, transportation, AWBI/KAWB (for animals), Health and Family Welfare participated in the meeting.
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One group member told the publication that some vendors are selling crackers online, and urged even the cybercrime department to be involved in the crackdown against illegal fireworks.
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