Enforcement has gone for a toss when it comes to control of polluting firecrackers in the city on Deepavali, as witnessed by the unrestrained purchase and sale of environmentally-hazardous crackers going on in full swing everywhere.
Supreme Court directions in 2017 and 2018 favouring ‘green crackers’ and banning use of regular crackers with hazardous particulate matter have gone unheeded, not only by the manufacturers, vendors and buyers, but also by the enforcement authorities, including GHMC and the police.
If the apex court’s directions are implemented in word and spirit, literally all the station house officers in the city will have to be held liable for contempt of court!
“They [the police department] shall also ensure that there is no sale of banned firecrackers. In case the violation is found, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the concerned police station of the area shall be held personally liable for such violation and this would amount to committing contempt of court, for which such SHO (s) would be proceeded against,” said the guidelines issued by the TSPCB based on the order.
GHMC, which has allotted its playgrounds for temporary firecracker stalls, has failed to ensure that the stalls sold only green crackers with reduced emissions.
Despite the explicit ban on the manufacture, sale and use of joined firecrackers/series crackers popularly known as laris, the same could be found in almost all the stalls, at exaggerated prices.
“My sons are fond of them, so I had to buy them despite the high price. For a ten thousand wallah, I was charged ₹5,200,” said Narasimha Rao from Boduppal, who said he had no clue about the ban, nor any idea of green crackers.
According to a circular issued by GHMC Commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar on October 28, the deputy commissioners of respective circles were to form teams to identify shops or persons selling banned firecrackers within their limits, and impose severe penalties or punishments. No such teams were formed nor any inspections conducted to identify sale of such illegal crackers.
Interestingly, even the Hyderabad Agricultural Cooperative Association (HACA), a government organisation which has a tradition of providing firecrackers at affordable prices, has paid no heed to the guidelines. At its outlets set up at NTR Stadium, the association sold banned crackers and laris with impunity.
