Ban too late, few buyers for green crackers

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 11

A day after the Punjab Government approved a two-hour window for green crackers on Diwali and Gurpurb, the sale of traditional crackers continues unabated.

Even before the orders pertaining to the ban — in force till November 30 — depending on the air pollution levels, dealers across the state stocked, sold and even continue to sell the banned crackers, sources said. “Such a ban should be declared four to six months in advance,” said a top official.

Crackers were being sold in Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Sangrur and Fatehgarh Sahib, it was found.

“Why would one buy the green variety, which is more expensive,” asked a Ferozepur-based dealer.

The police have been asked to book those selling banned crackers. While on Diwali, green crackers can be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm, on Gurpurb, the window is from 4 am to 5 am and from 9 pm to 10 pm.

A dealer in Patiala, Sanjay Kumar, said: “The ban on traditional crackers has come too late. Stocks have already been piled up in many districts with super stockists selling crackers in October. We have paid 15 to 20 per cent extra for green crackers.”

PPCB Member Secretary Karunesh Garg said: “The local authorities and police will implement the ban.”

Free of banned chemicals

• Green crackers are produced using less harmful raw material, have additives that reduce emissions by suppressing dust
• Don’t contain banned chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, barium and lead
• Experts, however, say these do cause pollution, though at a comparatively lesser level
• Are researched and developed by scientists at CSIR-NEERI