Diwali 2022: Despite ban, firecrackers burst in many parts of Delhi on Diwali

A large number of highdecibel firecrackers thundered throughout Diwali night on Monday as people in Delhi flouted the ban imposed on these by the city government Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai last week said bursting firecrackers in the national capital on Diwali will attract a jail term of up to six months and a fine of Rs 200 Despite the legal deterrent in place people in many parts of the city including in south and northwest Delhi started bursting crackers by dusk Highintensity firecrackers could be heard going off on the ground or midairAnd as the night progressed the intensity of firecrackers increased breaching permissible decibel limits prompting some to wonder if there was any ban at all Bursting of firecrackers on Diwali is an ageold tradition but authorities in Delhi said the decision to restrict it was taken after considering environmental concerns and health hazards associated with itDelhis air quality turned very poor on Monday amid an increase in stubble burning bursting of firecrackers and moderately unfavourable meteorological conditions which allowed the accumulation of pollutants However the 24hour average air quality index AQI of 312 was still the secondbest for Diwali in seven years The city recorded an AQI of 281 on Diwali in 2018 Earlier in the day experts feared that if the volume of firecrackers burst goes up again this year the air quality is likely to dip furtherIn case firecrackers are burst like last year the air quality may plunge to severe levels on the night of Diwali itself and continue to remain in the red zone for another day the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research SAFAR had earlier predicted Notwithstanding the ban people burst firecrackers with impunity in various areas starting around 6 pmAlso Read Diwali 2022 201 fire calls reported during celebrationsIn south Delhis East of Kailash and neighbouring places like Nehru Place and Moolchand firecrackers going off midair could be heard in the evening Some residents burst crackers in their neighbourhood like every year In Burari too many residents burst firecrackers despite widespread dissemination of information about the banThey are educated but still doing this what will children learn from it said a resident of a colony in Burari In Laxmi Nagar Mayur Vihar and Shahdara in east Delhi the situation was similar While the intensity in the late evening was lower compared to last year it rose after 9 pm It was as if the slog overs have started a Laxmi Nagar resident said Loud thuds of crackers were also reported in southwest Delhis Munirka areaBipasha Ghosh 19 who came to south Delhis Kailash Hills area from Kolkata a few days ago said In my area it went on past 11 pm I wonder if there is a ban on bursting firecrackers in Delhi Also those doing it are irresponsible and insensitive to the environment and to people who have respiratory problems and other health issues Many people complained of itchy skin and a burning sensation in their eyes due to smoke from bursting firecrackersI will not step out tomorrow I know what the air quality will be tomorrow said Reetu Nandan a student who lives in south Delhi Delhi Environment Minister Rai had earlier said production storage and sale of firecrackers in the city will be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 5000 and three years in jail under Section 9B of the Explosives ActA total of 408 teams had been set up to implement the ban The Delhi Police set up 210 teams under assistant commissioners of police while the revenue department set up 165 teams and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee 33 teams In neighbouring cities of Gurugram and Faridabad too many people burst firecrackers The air quality in Ghaziabad 301 Noida 303 Greater Noida 270 Gurugram 325 and Faridabad 256 was reported in the poor to very poor category on Monday An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good 51 and 100 satisfactory 101 and 200 moderate 201 and 300 poor 301 and 400 very poor and 401 and 500 severeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever