After the launch of eco-friendly green firecrackers Chandni Chowk, one of the busiest markets in the national capital has been decked up with pollution-free firecrackers.
According to the government's directions, people are allowed to use only low decibel crackers and should avoid busting of crackers near hospitals and places of worship.
A trader Satish Kaushik who has a shop in Chand Chowk market said: "All the firecrackers which we are selling is pollution-free and low decibel. Apart from these, we have no other item and people have been asking for other firecrackers."
"...we are only selling those crackers which are provided by the government. We have a permanent license but for the past three years our shop was closed, now the government has given permission for the sale of green crackers so this year we are selling only eco-friendly crackers, he said.
Kaushik further said that this year the quantity of green crackers supplied by the manufacturers are not so high and due to that they have been selling these crackers at a high cost. So the retailers have also been selling them to customers at a high rate, said Kaushik.
Kapil Sharma another shopkeeper said that new regulations regarding crackers have impacted the sale and prices of firecrackers.
"The government had provided only two varieties (Fuljhadi and Anaar) of green crackers. These crackers are also not fully available in the market. The cost of firecrackers are such that people are afraid to buy. The cracker which was sold at Rs 100 is now being sold at Rs 500. Customers are not happy with this change," Sharma said.
Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had also urged people to use only green firecrackers during Diwali.
He had launched eco-friendly green firecrackers and informed that a green logo as well as a Quick Response (QR) coding system has been developed for the differentiation of green crackers from conventional crackers.
Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India.
( With inputs from ANI )