Firecrackers not necessary to bring people together: SC
New Delhi, Aug 8 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday was told by the firecrackers' manufacturers that firecrackers alone were not the sole reason for rising pollution levels during Diwali though it was one of the contributing factors, and that an entire industry can't be shut down.
A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan, hearing a PIL seeking a countrywide ban on manufacturing, sale and possession of firecrackers, was told that pollution has reached very high levels not only because of firecrackers, but also by vehicular pollution, construction dust and stubble burning.
"The question is whether an entire industry can be shut down citing air pollution while other industries are allowed to continue," contended counsel for the firecrackers manufacturers.
The counsel told the bench that during Diwali, it brings people together in celebration.
At this Justice Sikri replied: "Diwali is a festival of lights. Firecrackers are not necessary to bring people together. People can be brought together by distributing and sharing sweets also."
The court posted for hearing on August 14 a batch of pleas seeking a country-wide ban on possession, sale and bursting of firecrackers and stubble burning by farmers.
Earlier, the bench had expressed concern over growing respiratory problems among children due to air pollution and had said it would decide whether there has to be a complete or reasonable curbs on the use of firecrackers.
The bench had cited a report that said 20-25 per cent children suffer from respiratory diseases, adding: "The lungs of most infants in Delhi are grey."
One of the pleas filed by a child, Arjun Gopal, who is represented by lawyer Gopal Shankarnarayan, sought a ban on possession of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) as it was contributing to an already alarming level of air pollution.
Last year the apex court prohibited the sale of firecrackers in Delhi and NCR during Diwali.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
