Diwali: Action against smugglers selling fireworks
Delhi Police is cracking down on smugglers who are selling
illegal fireworks everywhere, including car sheds, dusty warehouses, secret
places behind retail shops.
This Diwali, authorities in Delhi are imposing the strictest
ban on fireworks yet. This attempt is being made again after years of efforts
which have not proved fruitful so far.
Diwali this year falls on Monday and is a national holiday
across India, but meteorologists have warned that air quality (pollution ratio)
will drop to the 'very poor' category from Sunday despite a ban on fireworks.
will fall.
Prolonged exposure to this category of air can be hazardous
to anyone's health, but especially for children, the elderly, and people with
lung and heart disease.
Delhi's air quality has not yet reached the alarming levels
that residents had expected by the end of October.
Dr VK Soni of the India Meteorological Department based in
central Delhi says that this is due to weather conditions and there is no
government intervention, as the winds are blowing from the east, ie the plains
of northern India. Instead of accumulating around Delhi, the pollution is being
diverted to the Arabian Sea.
But he warned that this was only a temporary respite as the
blue sky seen through the small window was soon set to turn a dull orange hue
that would last for the next several months.
While fireworks on Diwali can often be blamed for the winter
smog that makes Delhi one of the world's most polluted capitals, there are
actually many factors that contribute to the deterioration of air quality for
such a long period of time. are made
As road traffic increases this time of year, farmers in
neighboring states burn crop residues and cooler weather conditions keep them
in the air.
Dr Soni told The Independent: 'Citizens of Delhi should brace themselves for extremely unhealthy air conditions starting Sunday evening due to increased vehicular smoke and thousands of people. The gathering in the city on the occasion of the festival will lead to traffic congestion on the roads.'
Fireworks, known as crackers in India, not only cause air pollution, but their use has definitely led to a drop in the Air Quality Index (AQI) over the years.
Despite previous
attempts to ban firecrackers or the introduction of less polluting so-called
'eco-friendly' fireworks over the years, the night of Diwali is always
accompanied by itchy throats, watery eyes and a metallic desire
for the mouth.
This year, the Delhi
administration has warned that those caught selling crackers will face heavy
fines and jail terms. This is the strictest ever ban on the sale and trade of
firecrackers in the weeks leading up to the festival in September.
Public awareness campaigns have also been launched and brands
are running various advertisements encouraging people to celebrate Diwali in
other less polluting ways.
Yet many Hindus still see fireworks as an important part of
the festival, and many locals and traders are willing to risk violating the ban.
In the days leading up to Diwali, a Google search for 'where
are firecrackers available nearest in Delhi' leads to dozens of sellers.
The Independent called 10 of these sellers who had shared
their contact details online and found that at least four of them (vendors)
made 10,000 from firecrackers to sparklers and sky shots. All kinds of crackers
down to small bombs were ready to be supplied.
Another quick search on Instagram revealed two vendors
willing to sell 'green' crackers that they claim are eco-friendly crackers that
emit less smoke.
Within an hour we were
able to find six more vendors who were willing to sell products that were
strictly illegal by the authorities.
Some also offer home delivery while two offer delivery at the
drop-off point midway. However, The Independent did not buy anything from him.
Delhi Police says they are working as hard as possible to enforce
the law. According to him, more than 8,000 kilograms of firecrackers have been
seized so far during raids by officers in plain clothes and following secret
information in different parts of the city.
Special Commissioner of Delhi Police Deepender Pathak said:
"We are gathering some big information and are looking for the sellers of
firecrackers ranging from 500 to 1,000 kg."
According to him, most of the contraband was recovered from
warehouses, but officers have also uncovered secret compartments behind retail
shops where many cartons of firecrackers were stored and sold, and sales from
mobile car bootlegs. .
An arrested man admitted to selling firecrackers on the drive
through slips of paper describing how he would approach customers looking for
firecrackers and bring them to his car, which was parked outside a mechanic's
workshop.
The police said that in this way they would bring the
required quantity of crackers and after two or three hours they would hand over
the parcel of crackers to them.
Dipendra Pathak says his busiest day will be Monday and
patrols will continue around the clock to prevent people from buying crackers
and bursting them. The BJP has accused Delhi's 'Aam Aadmi Party'
government of refusing to allow 'full celebration' of Diwali by tightening the
ban on crackers. Although there is no reference to firecrackers in Hindu
mythology or religious books, it is described as a festival of lights that
traditionally depicts rangoli with colorful powders, among other activities.
Speaking to The Independent, BJP's Delhi unit spokesperson
Tajinder Baga said: 'This is a clear attack on us Hindus who want to celebrate
Diwali in our own way. We know pollution is a problem, but why are we not given
a few hours to burst crackers?'
On his social media account, Baga compared the Delhi Chief
Minister to the Muslim emperors who ruled India from the 16th century to the
18th century. Some blame the Mughal rulers for stopping the celebration of
Hindu festivals during this period, although historians dispute this.
In a video shared by Baga, a child is seen saying, "O
children of the Mughals, will you teach us how to celebrate Diwali?" Now
look' and with that he proceeds to light a forbidden firecracker.
Some proponents of fireworks say they cause less pollution
than farmers burning seasonal crop residues in the neighboring agricultural
state of Punjab.
Burning of crop residues is also banned in India, but this is
also a politically sensitive issue. Political parties are not ready to enforce
fines and bans on it as they risk losing the electoral support of farmers.
But experts say the impact of crop residue burning on air
pollution has also been overstated, as a recent study concluded that Delhi's
annual air quality crisis is largely due to originated from its own sources of
pollution and not from neighboring states. Delhi experiences its worst air
quality index from November to January and this is mainly due to festivals and
weather conditions that reduce pollution, says study author Dr Puneet Kaur
Kangra of Punjab Agriculture University. Keeps in a cool environment until at
least February.
She says that crop residues are also burnt during the summer
months of April and May, but there is less smoke in Delhi's air during this
season, suggesting that climatic conditions are behind the capital's air
crisis. are
Delhi's AQI on Monday forecast 'extremely bad' weather here
since February, barring a few rare days during dust storms in July.
Dr. Kangra says that Delhi suffers from this problem because
of its own sources of pollution, i.e. most of the vehicles and factories in and
outside the city emit large amounts of pollution. Their study examined Delhi's
air conditions during all months over the last three years.
Dr Soni, a senior member of the Meteorological Department, says
that the transport sector alone contributed 20 to 30 per cent to Delhi's air
pollution last week and it could go up to 40 per cent as it happens every year.
He added that it is too late to prevent another cold spell
now engulfing the capital in toxic smog. He says: 'I can only request the
elderly and children not to leave their homes unless necessary.'