India / Delhi govt lists 824 open spaces for residents to burn green firecrackers

New Delhi: The Delhi government has published a list of over 800 open spaces across the city where people will be permitted to burn “green” firecrackers between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali.

The list comes even as the Delhi government is scheduled to launch a campaign on Tuesday urging people not to burn fire crackers this Diwali in light of air pollution, which is a greater concern this year owing to the present Covid-19 crisis.

Diwali this year will be celebrated on November 14.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai, in line with a 2018 Supreme Court order, said the government has allowed the manufacture and sale of only green crackers, which contain fewer polluting substances as compared to traditional ones, and are less noisy as well.

In 2018 and 2019, despite the ban on the sale of traditional crackers and due to the low availability of low-emission varieties, pollution levels in the city saw a major spike after Diwali. Till last year, green varieties of only ‘phuljhari’ (sparklers), rocket and ‘anar’(flower pots) were available. More options are available in markets this year.

Rai also said, “I appeal to people to not burn any fire crackers at all this year. Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, health hazards due to air pollution could turn more dangerous. If anyone really wants to burn firecrackers, then please use only green crackers.”

The list of 824 locations, published on the Delhi government’s website, includes parks, vacant plots, school playgrounds and open grounds covering all of the city’s 272 municipal wards.

Some of the prominent locations include Buddha Park in Mayur Vihar, a park in B block of Chanakyapuri, Ramleela ground in Laxmibai Nagar, Ajmal Khan Park in Karol Bagh, Sudarshan Park in Moti Nagar, West Mehram Nagar Park in Delhi Cantonment, CBD ground opposite Hotel Leela and Gandhi Park in Saket.

A senior government official said the list was released to ensure that even if people choose to burn green firecrackers, they do it in common locations that are more open, instead of streets, lanes and parking areas in residential areas.

Local police and administration officials are also likely to set a cap on the size of gatherings in each open space. Enforcement teams will also remain active during Diwali, a senior official in the government’s revenue department said.

BS Vohra, president of East Delhi resident welfare associations’ front, said: “We shall be asking members to celebrate Diwali without firecrackers this year. We have already started campaigns through social media platforms. The initiative on part of the government to identify locations for community celebrations reflect good intent, but it can’t be said how much it can actually persuade people. We need better awareness campaigns and stricter enforcement of existing norms.”

A total of 260 applications for firecracker shop licences have been received so far by Delhi Police, which issued 138 licences till Thursday -- a number much higher compared to 2019 when only 97 had applied of which 62 had received permission to sell firecrackers. Eligible shopkeepers can start selling from Monday.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, said: “The government has to invest in an intensive campaign this year to encourage people not to burn firecrackers. The air pollution problem and spike in covid-19 cases together can create a health disaster. With issuing a list of designated locations for burning firecrackers and setting a time window, the government is apparently trying to ensure that residential areas witness less pollution because of firecrackers during Diwali. But, with that, the government should also make firecracker sales’ licensing norms more stringent in order to curb accessibility to firecrackers.”

In 2019, the Delhi Police arrested 166 persons and registered 315 cases against people found bursting firecrackers on Diwali night in violation of the Supreme Court’s guidelines – mostly caught with firecrackers which did not qualify as green crackers and on the basis of complaints concerning violation of the time window between 8 pm and 10 pm.

“The police will patrol residential areas during Diwali to ensure that prescribed green crackers are burnt during the stipulated time. Violators will be booked under relevant provisions of law depending on the nature of the violation,” said deputy commissioner of police Eish Singhal, spokesperson of Delhi Police.