Only green crackers permitted for short period in festivals: Punjab environment minister

Chandigarh: The Punjab government will allow the use of only green crackers and that too for a short duration on Diwali, Gurpurab, Christmas and New Year, the state's Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said on Friday.

He said that only licensed traders would be allowed to sell permitted firecrackers and no e-commerce site or others shall accept online orders within Punjab.

According to an official statement, the minister said that with the Diwali, Gurupurab, Christmas and New Year approaching, the environment department will allow only green crackers "that do not use barium salt or compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead or strontium chromate".

Only green crackers will be allowed to be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali, from 4 am to 5 am and from 9 pm to 10 pm on Gurpurab, and from 11:55 pm to 12:30 am on both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, Hayer said.

He said manufacturing, stocking, distributing, selling and using joined firecrackers (series of crackers which are joined) are banned in the State.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board has been directed to carry out short-term monitoring in selected cities of the state. Also, the police shall ensure that only green crackers are sold and burst during the permitted time and at designated places, the minister said.

Hayer warned that any violation of the directions will invite immediate penal action. He also appealed to the people to encourage community fire cracking at designated areas.