Many States have come up with their own norms. Even so, some States, looking at the issue through a selfish lens, are doing a flip-flop
After the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the sale and bursting of crackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) till November 30, firecracker traders in Delhi were up in arms against the Government for having issued licences for the sale of fireworks in the first place. Did the Government not have the foresight to stop issuing licences? It is no secret that the air quality in Delhi-NCR goes for a toss during this time of the year, especially post-Dussehra and Diwali. It doesn’t require much insight to see this coming and take preventive action, including non-issuance of licences for firecracker traders. But every year, all Governments deal with it as if it’s a new issue. Why is this so? Bursting of crackers during weddings and festivals in India is a long-standing tradition. Hence it is a touchy issue. Any restraint is highly unpopular and has implications for the industry and employment as well. And so, all governments are reluctant to take a clear and tough stand on it. Now, with the country being in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic, the issue of air pollution has acquired an added seriousness. Health authorities have already warned us that air pollution can aggravate the ongoing crisis. Couldn’t the Delhi Government and the governments of the States surrounding the national Capital have anticipated this and shown some foresight?
Outside of Delhi-NCR, the ban by the NGT is applicable in towns and cities where the air quality is in the “poor” category. However, the tribunal allowed the sale and use of “green” crackers in areas where the air quality is “moderate” or “better.” But even in such places, the tribunal has restricted the use of firecrackers to only two hours during festivals like Diwali, Chhath, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Many State Governments have come up with their own guidelines, restricting the use of firecrackers. Even so, some States, looking at the issue through a political lens, are doing a flip-flop. The ban has been imposed on both the demand and supply of crackers. On the demand side, it is a pity that some people still need to be stopped from bursting crackers at a time when the contagion has forced us all to reset our lifestyles.
While most people voluntarily exercise restraint, there remains a sizeable section of the population that would need to be restrained. Left to themselves, these people can create havoc for others. Given their mental make-up and their geographical scatter, the demand side enforcement of the ban by Government agencies is likely to be challenging. When looked at from the supply side, the ban has come too late in the day. The stocks that have already been produced will find their way into the market and get sold and used. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if compliance remains tepid. The enforcement of the ban has to be made everybody’s business. This is where some advance and longer-term planning would have helped.
Bursting of crackers that create so much air and noise pollution has to be treated as a social menace. A negative association between the bursting of crackers and the welfare of the people at large has to be drawn and reinforced time and again. There is a need to create a social norm around it to build pressure against those who resort to the firing of crackers. A collective action needs to be activated against this practice. Further, the law and order agencies need to engage civil society in the monitoring and reporting of violations of the prohibition. This just goes to show that a sophisticated approach is needed for dealing with the issue.
The bursting of firecrackers is only one of the sources of air pollution in major towns and cities and that, too, a transient one. Dealing with the other sources of air pollution such as vehicular emissions, dust from construction sites, burning of solid waste and so forth require a similar approach even before the Graded Response Action Plan kicks in. Some sources of air pollution such as the burning of crop residue don’t have affordable technological fixes yet. The Government needs to work closely with research organisations and the industry to get cheap and sustainable technological solutions to the farmers. Where these solutions already exist, the Government needs to facilitate their early adoption by working closely with the industry and civil society.
Dealing with the challenge of air pollution requires changing peoples’ choices and practices. This cannot happen without the Government’s active engagement with the industry and civil society. Its role is not confined to merely being a referee or a regulator. It has a facilitator’s role as well. Further, different layers of Government — Central, State, and local authorities — need to work in tandem. Delhi-NCR is probably the worst-affected by the coordination failure between the different State Governments and offices. This failure is seen across a slew of development challenges. The education system needs to do much more in conditioning children about the interdependence and interconnectedness of various sectors in controlling air pollution. People have to be taught early on about the limits to individual freedom and free will. They have to take socially responsible decisions when their actions adversely affect others. They have to respect the rights of others to clean air and health.
(The writer is a development economist and author)