Delhi govt bans firecrackers again till January 1
New Delhi, Sep 7: There will be a blanket ban on the production, sale and use of all types of firecrackers in the national capital, including on Diwali, till January 1, 2023, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.
Rai said the ban extends to online sale of firecrackers. He, however, did not clarify when the restrictions will come into force.
"Production, storage, sale and use of all types of firecrackers are being completely banned so that people's lives can be saved," he tweeted.
This time there will also be a ban on the online sale and delivery of firecrackers in Delhi. The restriction will remain in force till January 1, 2023.
"Online sale/delivery of firecrackers will also be banned in Delhi this time. The restriction will remain in force till January 1, 2023," Rai said.
The minister said an action plan will be drawn up with the Delhi Police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Revenue Department to ensure strict enforcement of the ban.
BJP leader Kapil Mishra said the Arvind Kejriwal government has failed to curb air pollution in Delhi and is now "showing off" by banning firecrackers.
"It has been proved in scientific reports and the court that firecrackers are not the source of pollution. When the Kejriwal government has failed to stop pollution in Delhi, why show off by banning firecrackers?" he tweeted in Hindi.
Last year, the Delhi government had announced a complete ban on firecrackers till January 1, 2022. It also ran an aggressive campaign against the sale and use of firecrackers which involved 15 special teams at the district level.
Neighbouring Haryana also imposed a ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in 14 of its districts in the National Capital Region (NCR), while Uttar Pradesh allowed the use of green crackers on Diwali just for two hours in areas with moderate or better air quality.
Despite the restrictions, people burst firecrackers till late night in Delhi, Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram.
Fireworks had led to major changes in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in Delhi on Diwali night (November 4), according to the DPCC.
Emissions from firecrackers and farm fires had pushed the capital's 24-hour average air quality index for the day after Diwali to 462, the highest in five years.
Rai had then alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) instigated people to flout the ban on firecrackers on Diwali by linking it to religion.
The National Green Tribunal on December 2, 2020 had ordered a total ban on the sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers in the NCR and all cities with poor or worse ambient air quality.
The air quality in Delhi and neighbouring areas start worsening in October due to unfavourable meteorological factors such as low temperatures and wind speed which do not allow dispersion of pollutants.
A cocktail of emissions from firecrackers on Diwali and stubble burning in neighbouring states makes it worse.
A study led by researchers from IIT-Delhi says that biomass burning emissions, rather than fireworks, drive the poor air quality in the national capital during the days following Diwali.
On Diwali day, stubble burning accounted for 25 per cent of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi in 2021; 32 per cent in 2020 and 19 per cent in 2019, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecaster SAFAR.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
