RSS affiliate tells state govts to repeal ban on firecrackers during Diwali

The SJM batted for green crackers, noting polluting Chinese ones have been curtailed

Diwali firecrackers rep Representational image

With several state governments banning sale of crackers on Diwali on the grounds of poor air quality and likely impact on immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, the RSS front body Swadeshi Jagran Manch said such a move was without any basis and may affect livelihood of people.

"SJM urges all the state governments to avoid complete ban on firecrackers on the occasion of Deepawali, bypassing the false propaganda in terms of ill effects of firecrackers," Dr Ashwini Mahajan, co-convenor of the organisation, said. He added that green crackers have been introduced, while pollution-causing Chinese ones have been curtailed in India.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch asked the governments of Delhi, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka and all other state governments, which have imposed a complete ban on firecrackers, to repeal the ban.

"It has to be understood that till now the pollution caused by firecrackers was primarily due to illegally imported firecrackers from China. There has been pollution due to the mixing of potassium nitrate and sulfur in Chinese firecrackers. However, in green (pollution-free) firecrackers made in India today, potassium nitrate and sulfur are not mixed; and other pollutants such as aluminium, lithium, arsenic and mercury have been reduced to the minimum," Mahajan said, batting for green crackers.

These green firecrackers are certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, NEERI, and reduce pollution by minimum of 30 per cent.

As the Indian government has imposed an effective ban on Chinese firecrackers, SJM said it was completely unfair to impose blanket ban on all types of firecrackers on Diwali.

"We should not forget that in Tamil Nadu (Sivakasi), West Bengal and many other parts of the country, livelihoods of nearly one million people depends on firecracker industry. Throughout the year, these people wait for Deepawali to sell their firecrackers. In such a situation, it is not prudent to ban green firecrackers, which are less polluting, without any scientific basis."

SJM said the state governments should instead make efforts to find a permanent solution to the problem of pollution of stubble burning.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch said that the Supreme Court in its order in October 2018 has given permission to light firecrackers for two hours on the occasion of Diwali, keeping in view the tradition of lighting firecrackers during the festival and the livelihood of lakhs of people engaged in cracker production.

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