While hailing the recent ruling of the Supreme Court prohibiting sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR area ahead of the Diwali festival, some students based in Dehradun said that the best way to protect environment from the firecracker-spawned damage during the Diwali festivities is to restrain their urge to celebrate the occasion through indiscriminate bursting of firecrackers.
At the same time, they urged the State Government, particularly the State pollution control board, to ensure that the rules framed by them to mitigate damage to environment during the festivity- are observed.
They, however, are against the Government imposing a total ban on the sale of firecrackers. “The time for bursting firecrackers should be fixed and it should not exceed three hours from 6.30 pm and 9.30 pm on Diwali,” said one of them.
Gaurav, a student pursuing law from a private institute said that pollution level keeps on rising over the years on the occasion of Diwali. “Our Government should take lessons from the recent Supreme Court and High Court’s landmark ruling on the matter. With the level of air pollution deteriorating steadily during Diwali, Uttarakhand Government should regulate it here too.
However, the most important role on the matter rests with the youngsters like us. We must control the urge of celebrating the festival through bursting firecrackers wildly, something that raises the air pollution to an alarming level.
If we can set an example through exercising restraint it would go a long way in mitigating the damage firecrackers cause to our environment,” he added.
Echoing the same sentiment, Anand, a school student of class VIII said, “As the children are more vulnerable to air pollution than the adults we must exercise restrain while bursting firecrackers. I agree with one of my school teachers who has asked us not to burst firecrackers during Diwali while keeping note of what the doctors say.
The doctors say that the children breathe twice as fast as adults, taking in more air and pollutants during Diwali which can adversely affect their growth and immune system. We have thus pledged to celebrate Diwali sans firecrackers.”
Urmila, another student, said that she would refrain from bursting firecrackers this time.
“Though firecrackers are deemed to be the quintessence of Diwali celebration, I am sure that Diwali can be celebrated sans them. We know that tiny particles suspended in the air lodge into lungs and cause diseases.
The process jumps to dangerous levels during the Diwali celebration. People already afflicted with heart or lung diseases such as asthma become dangerously vulnerable when the air quality turns poor,” she said.
Vikrant, a student leader from SGRR (PG) College, said that he has urged his followers and other college students not to burst firecracker this year and also to involve in creating awareness among the youth about ill- effect of air pollution due to firecrackers. “I would support the Government if it regulates the use of firecrackers.
However, at the same time, I am against imposing a blanket ban on bursting firecrackers during the principal festival of the region,” he added.