On October 12, the Punjab government issued guidelines for the residents to burst firecrackers on Diwali and other festivals in the next three months. As per the guidelines, the residents will be allowed to burst firecrackers only for two hours, from 8 PM to 10 PM on Diwali.
The guidelines came amid the increasing incidents of stubble burning in the state that the government is struggling to control but has not succeeded to a notable extent.
Punjab Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said, “Firecrackers will be allowed to be fired in the state (on Diwali) for two hours from 8 PM to 10 PM. The manufacture, stock, distribution, sale and use of joined firecrackers is hereby banned in the whole of Punjab. Only the green crackers would be allowed for sale and use in the state.”
35 minutes for Christmas from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am midnight on December 25-26 and 35 minutes from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am midnight on New Year’s Eve from 31 December-1 January have been allowed: Punjab Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer
— ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2022
Furthermore, he urged the residents to buy firecrackers through licensed traders only. He also asked the administration to ensure that the traders sell only permitted firecrackers. Apart from Diwali, timings have been set for Prakash Purab, Christmas and New Year’s eve.
He added, “Crackers will be permitted for one hour from 4 AM to 5 AM and one hour from 9 to 10 PM on November 8, the Prakash Purab day of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. 35 minutes for Christmas from 11.55 PM to 12.30 AM midnight on December 25-26 and 35 minutes from 11.55 PM to 12.30 AM midnight on New Year’s Eve from 31 December-1 January have been allowed.”
Worsening air quality amid stubble burning
The guidelines of the state government came amid the increasing incidents of stubble burning in the state. Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party had claimed to take strong steps to control the stubble-burning instances in the state, but things did not work out in the first year of the government. The farmers are burning the stubble all across the state without any fear of the law and claim they do not have “funds” or “machines” to manage stubble. As a result, the Diwali festivities will get affected. Other major sources of pollution in the state include industrial emissions, vehicular emissions and dust pollution.
It is noteworthy that just a day before the Punjab government released guidelines, the Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav had held a virtual meeting with his state counterparts from Delhi, NCR and Punjab on controlling vehicular, industrial and dust pollution and stubble burning ahead of the winter season. During the meeting, stubble burning was one of the most crucial topics of discussion.
In an official statement, the ministry said, “The issue of vehicular pollution was also deliberated upon in the meeting and the states informed about strict action being taken to ensure that all vehicles have the pollution under check (PUC) certificate. Road traffic management systems were also discussed.”
As per Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS) latest data, Punjab has seen 867 incidents of stubble burning since October 3.
Such incidents are expected to increase further in the coming days.
