Swadeshi Jagran Manch 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. For some time, without any factual information, governments have been taking action like banning all types of firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali, which is completely inappropriate. 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 aluminum, lithium, arsenic and mercury etc. have been reduced to the minimum. It is noteworthy that these firecrackers are certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- NEERI and cause a minimum of 30 percent less pollution. Since the Indian government has imposed an effective ban on Chinese firecrackers, it is completely unfair to impose blanket ban all types of firecrackers on Deepawali. 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. On this occasion, we also urge the Central Government to inform the National Green Tribunal about the real pollution effects of green firecrackers. It is a matter of regret that government agencies have failed to solve the problem of stubble burning, in various parts of the country, including Punjab, Haryana and Delhi; due to which the pollution in the capital and surrounding areas is continuously increasing and has crossed the danger mark.
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