Punjab govt gives two-hour window to burst firecrackers on Diwali

The state government on Wednesday announced a two-hour window for using green firecrackers on Diwali and Gurpurb as well as Christmas and New Year’s eve celebrations — albeit for a truncated period in the case of the latter two — across the state.

Last year, the poor air-quality index (AQI) levels saw the state put a blanket ban on firecrackers in Jalandhar and Mandi Gobindgarh. However, an improved AQI this time has allowed for the government some leeway. As per the notification issued by science and technology department secretary Rahul Tiwari, only green crackers will be allowed under the state orders, which are in compliance with the directives of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and other judicial orders passed by various courts.

The order says that on Diwali (October 24) and Gurpurb (November 8), green crackers can be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm and in two shifts from 4 am to 5 pm and 9 pm to 10 pm respectively. The window for Christmas and New year eve is smaller — between 11.55 pm till 12.30 am. 

Only the green crackers, those that do not use barium salt can be used. The sale shall be only through the licensed traders. The orders say that the government should promote community celebrations to reduce the firecrackers being used in a bid to further keep pollution in check. The orders also prohibited e-commerce websites from accepting online orders for sale of crackers.