T’PURAM: The state government has given strict directives to all district collectors and district police chiefs to implement the Supreme Court order regarding the ban on a specific category of fire crackers.
The directive from the home department to all the collectors was issued last Thursday in the wake of the SC making an observation recently that despite making various observations by the court regarding the use of firecrackers, the manufacture, sale and use of banned fireworks are continuing by violating the court order.
“Even though they are banned, the manufacturing, selling and using of joined firecrackers have continued and the same is being used in blatant violation of the directives issued by this court. It is reported that even under the guise of ‘green crackers’, banned chemical firecrackers are being sold and there is a mislabelling on the boxes and even the QR codes provided on the boxes of ‘green crackers’, are alleged to be fake,” the court had observed.
The state has a rich culture of using firecrackers for festivals like Diwali and Vishu and for other religious ceremonies like temple festivals and Theyyam of Northern Kerala. The court had earlier banned the manufacture, sale and use of firecrackers other than green firecrackers and those with reduced emission (improvised ones). The court had also banned the “joined firecrackers”, as such firecrackers cause huge air, noise and solid waste issues. The sale of the permitted firecrackers should be only through the licensed traders, and it should also be ensured that the licensed traders are selling only permitted firecrackers.
The court had further specified that no e-commerce websites, including the e-commerce giants like the Amazon and the Flipkart, should accept orders and sell firecrackers, and those who sell them online should be hauled up and made liable to contempt of court. The court had specifically said that barium salts (that gives green colour to the fireworks) cannot be used in the firecrackers.
Earlier, based on the court order, the state had issued an order on November 3 restricting the use of firecrackers from 7pm and 10pm on Diwali day. On the basis of the court order, the government would issue another order restricting the use of firecrackers for the upcoming Christmas and the New Year from 11.55pm to 12.30 am. The court had said the celebrations cannot be allowed at the cost of health, particularly that of senior citizens and children.
