Students, parents vow to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali, shun crackers

Students of various educational institutes in the region, along with their parents, vowed to observe an eco-friendly Diwali by celebrating the festival of lights in a traditional manner and shunning crackers.

They have also come forward to associate with a campaign launched by the administration to sensitise all stakeholders about the potential risks involved in handling and bursting fireworks.

Assistant governor of an organisation, Surinder Pal Sofat, said students of various institutions had vowed to prevent the degradation of environment by shunning crackers on Diwali and other festivals. Besides making a formal appeal to observe a green Diwali, crusaders highlighted the necessity of reverting to the traditional manner of celebrating the festival by lighting earthen oil lamps.

“Having received a positive response to our appeal, we have prepared a roster for organising events for spreading awareness on the necessity of shunning crackers,” said Sofat, adding that special teams of students had been constituted for organising seminars and workshops ahead of Diwali.

Appreciating the gesture, Malerkotla Additional Deputy Commissioner Sukhpreet Singh Sidhu said officials in the education department had been advised to extend support to the endeavour.

Sidhu said the district administration had also asked traders undertaking storage and sale of fireworks to follow safety guidelines. Four open places have been designated in the district for display and sale of crackers, said Sidhu.