Bombay HC bans bursting of firecrackers on roads

Festivals can be celebrated without causing noise and air pollution, the Bombay High Court said on Tuesday while ordering a complete ban on the bursting of firecrackers on public roads. Passing the order amid the Ganesh festival, a bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale also said that the use of loudspeakers, DJs and laser beams during religious processions was “completely unwarranted”.

“Are we going to get additional blessings from God by using all these loudspeakers and firecrackers? As a responsible society, we should put an end to all this. Take the Wari procession (pilgrimage on foot to Pandharpur) for example. It is carried out so peacefully with absolutely no loudspeakers or noise,” the HC said. The court had on Monday taken suo motu (on its own) cognizance of the issue of severe noise and air pollution caused during processions.  

Bursting of firecrackers on roads is not only dangerous but also causes toxic pollution, the court noted. “There cannot be firecrackers absolutely. Why should firecrackers even be permitted on public roads in a city like Mumbai. This is the time air pollution starts in Mumbai and a haze sets in. This needs to be stopped. Day or night, on public roads firecrackers cannot be burst,” the court said.