Despite SC ruling, sale of crackers on the rise in city

30 October, 2018

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Thane: Even though the Supreme Court passed an order on October 23 stating that there will be a ban on firecrackers that produce loud noise and pollute the environment, traders and retailers selling firecrackers across the city were seen doing brisk business. Shopkeepers claim that the sale is more than what they had witnessed last year.

With just a week left for the Diwali festival, city stores and markets have already been stocked with a variety of crackers. Citizens have already started buying crackers from Kopri market and other areas of the city.

But shopkeepers claim that the crackers are as per the court standards and will produce low emission. “We are selling crackers that are ISO marked. So, they are termed as green crackers. This ruling, therefore, will not affect us. In fact, the sale of crackers is higher than last year,” Vicky Tikmari, a Kopri-based vendor said.

“The SC has asked all stores to start selling low emission fireworks. Many manufacturing companies have already started producing crackers that will generate less pollution,” Tikmari added.

Even though there is still a huge demand for firecrackers, many have started refraining from purchasing them as they have become environment conscious.

“Last year, I refrained from bursting crackers as it is bad for the environment. But this year after the SC ruling, we approached a few shops that showed us the low emission ISO mark on the packets. I then bought a few of these low emission crackers,” said Avinash Kadam (42), a Khopat resident.

Meanwhile, activists are skeptical about the authenticity of these ‘green’ crackers.

“The MPCB needs to re-evaluate the chemical composition of these fireworks and test the noise and decibel levels of each one and begin implementing the SC ruling at the earliest. While the awareness levels among citizens is on the rise, they may be conned by vendors into buying these fireworks under the ‘green’ tag. This ruling may take another year before it is implemented properly,” said citizen activist Mahesh Bedekar.

We are selling crackers that are ISO marked. So they are termed as green crackers. This ruling, therefore, will not affect us. In fact, the sale of crackers is higher than last year

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com