Residents of moderately-polluted cities in Jharkhand, including Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur, will be allowed to burst only “green firecrackers” from 8 pm to 10 pm this Diwali, the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) stated on Thursday in a directive that comes in adherence to a recent order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Bursting firecrackers outside the stipulated two hours in any of the 24 districts in Jharkhand may lead to legal action against violators under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the directive from JSPCB highlighted.
“Only green crackers will be sold in the moderately-polluted urban areas this Diwali,” the directive said. “Residents will be allowed to burst firecrackers across the state only from 8pm to 10pm,” it further stated.
As per the directive, the 14 moderately-polluted urban areas, where only green firecrackers are allowed are Ranchi, Ramgarh, East Singhbhum, Saraikela Kharsawan, Bokaro, Palamu, Giridih, Hazaribag, Deoghar, Godda, Pakur, Dhanbad, Sahebganj and West Singhbhum.
However, the residents of areas with satisfactory air quality are allowed to burst non-green crackers as well. Barring the 14 moderately polluted districts in Jharkhand, all the remaining 10 districts fall in the category of areas with satisfactory or good air quality.
During all the upcoming festivals, including Chhath and Christmas, revelers will not be allowed to burst firecrackers for more than two hours in a day. While the stipulated time for bursting firecrackers was 8pm to 10pm for Diwali and Guru Purab, revelers can burst crackers from 6am to 8am on Chhath and from 11.55pm to 12.30am on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the directive from the nodal pollution control body in the state said.
Green' crackers have a small shell size compared to traditional crackers. They are produced using less harmful raw materials and have additives which reduce emissions by suppressing dust. They don't contain banned chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, barium and lead. Also, Green crackers release water vapour and don't allow the dust particles to rise. They are designed to have 30 per cent less particulate matter pollution.
The JSPCB directive comes close on the heels of a government order banning bursting of firecrackers in public places during Diwali. The decision was taken in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the adverse effect of air pollution on the lungs of patients suffering from the viral infection.