Violation Of Firecracker Ban Will Be Penalised Under Air Act: Delhi Environment Minister

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday (November 9) said that if anyone violates the ban on firecrackers during Diwali, then the violator shall be penalized under the Air Act. “Today I met the officials of the Environment Department and the Revenue Department along with the representatives of the Delhi Police, the district magistrates and divisional commissioners. In this meeting, we have issued a guideline regarding the ban on firecrackers to the Delhi police and ensured that the guidelines will be implemented. The Delhi police will file an FIR against the violators under the Air Act,” Mr Rai said.

Also Read: Ahead Of Diwali, States Ban Firecrackers Due To Air Pollution, Rising COVID-19 Cases

I want to request the citizens of Delhi to follow the ban on the firecrackers. Today the NGT has also directed that no firecrackers will be allowed in Delhi and the adjacent area. Earlier the Delhi government allowed green crackers but looking into the situation of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and the pollution, the Delhi government has decided to ban any kind of firecrackers, Mr Rai added.

The Environment Minister also said that more than 150 tankers have sprinkled water on the roads of Delhi to combat dust pollution.

The pollution in Delhi is increasing every day and looking into the situation, I have directed the PWD officials to sprinkle water at every important road and deploy water tankers at various key locations of the national capital. Till now, nearly 150 water tankers are working across Delhi, the minister said.

Mr Rai also spoke about how the air in the national capital is getting toxic due to the stubble burning in the neighbouring states.

The winter is also approaching and I think that till Diwali the situation will remain the same and might even deteriorate, he said.

Rai also mentioned that the Delhi government is running the ‘Red Light Campaign’ to put a check on the toxic emissions from the vehicles and combat vehicular pollution.

Also Read: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Urges Delhiites To Avoid Bursting Crackers, Take Part In Virtual Lakshmi Puja This Diwali

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.