On Wednesday, 30th October, ahead of the Diwali festival, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal backed the ban on firecrackers in Delhi and claimed that the decision had nothing to do with religion. He said that both, the Supreme Court and the High Court had emphasized a ban on firecrackers due to pollution concerns.
“..Even the Supreme Court and High Court say that in view of the pollution, we should not burst crackers, we should light diyas. This is the festival of lights and not firecrackers. It is not as if we are doing a favor to anybody. Whatever pollution will happen, our children will suffer from it, so there is no Hindu-Muslim in this. Everyone’s life is important..” he said while addressing the media on Wednesday.
Kejriwal’s statement came a day after Bharatiya Janata Party politician Dinesh Sharma criticized the Delhi government’s blanket ban on firecrackers, questioning why it is restricted to during Hindu festivals and not during Christmas or New Year.
“We stand by the measures that are implemented for curbing pollution. There are many ways to curb it, but why are there only bans on Hindu festivals? The Delhi government will put a complete ban on crackers on Diwali and restrict the use of colors on Holi. What objection do you have to Hindu festivals?” Sharma was quoted as asking.
Earlier in September, the Delhi government issued an immediate ban on the production, storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers within the city, effective until January 1st.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai made the declaration, urging residents to support the government’s efforts to reduce air pollution. “In view of the increasing pollution in winter, a ban has been imposed on the production, storage, sale, and use of firecrackers from today till January 1,” Rai said. “The Delhi government has issued instructions regarding the ban, and we request the cooperation of all Delhiites,” he added.
AAP workers burning firecrackers after ban
The deteriorating air quality in the national capital has become a concern in the past few years for which the Hindu festival of Diwali is solely blamed by politicians and mainstream media. The AAP authorities claim that firecrackers burst on Diwali cause maximum air pollution resulting in deteriorating air quality. However, the hypocrisy of the party was exposed recently after AAP workers themselves burst firecrackers in September as they celebrated the bail granted to their chief Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy scam case. This is days after Rai had announced a ban on firecrackers ahead of Diwali.
Later Delhi Police took suo moto cognizance of the event and booked several unknown AAP workers for bursting firecrackers outside the residence of Kejriwal and violating the rules of the Delhi government’s ban on fireworks.
“Some unknown people have caused air pollution by bursting firecrackers near 6 Flag staff road, Civil Lines, Delhi which is very harmful to the health of residents and other general public,” the complaint in the FIR read. The unknown AAP workers who burst firecrackers were then charged with an offense under section 223(B) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
Moreover, it is important to note that the hazardous air of Delhi for which the AAP government has always selectively ignored the issue of stubble burning from neighboring states, primarily Punjab in recent years, which is the primary reason behind the hazardous air in Delhi. The government has imposed year-after-year bans on the sale and production of the firecrackers. However, the air quality in Delhi has had no effect.
Stubble burning: Punjab vs Haryana
Stubble (parali) burning is a method of removing paddy crop residues from the field to sow wheat from the last week of September to November. Almost everyone has agreed that stubble burning by farmers in the nearby states, mainly in Punjab and Haryana, has been the primary reason behind deteriorating air quality in Delhi. However, the AAP government having power in Punjab as well as Delhi has hardly done anything to solve the issue. Instead, they find it easy to blame the Hindu festival and the bursting of firecrackers for the pollution.
As reported earlier, Punjab has in the past made the use of the Super Straw Management System (SMS) with the harvesters mandatory to prevent stubble burning. These machines, which can be attached to existing combines, cut the stubble and spread it uniformly in the field, eliminating the need for burning them. However, the implementation of this machine has not been strict as all farmers can’t afford it, given the hefty costs. Moreover, there are not enough such machines in use at present to cover the entire area before the planting of wheat. Therefore, farmers, even to date, burn the stubble despite it being made illegal as per law and imposition of fines for violating the law.
On the other hand, Haryana last year reported a 30 percent dip in incidents of stubble burning and has always come up with smart solutions to address the problem of stubble burning in the state. It has issued money to the farmers for crop residue and also has given them the option to convert the stubble into compressed biogas. Due to the efforts of the Haryana government, the issue of stubble burning is gradually being addressed, and farmers are receiving additional income of 4-6 thousand rupees per acre. The stubble is also purchased by the state which converts it into animal fodder and other products.
However, in contrast, AAP ruled Punjab has not been able to curtail stubble-burning incidents.
Conclusion: AAP must stop hypocrisy
As reported in January this year, the air quality of Delhi slipped to a ‘severe’ condition even after the state imposed a ban on firecrackers weeks before Diwali 2023. Gopal Rai while imposing the ban had said that people should avoid bursting crackers on the Hindu festival as it would make it difficult for everyone to breathe. Even while wishing people on the occasion of Diwali from his X handle, he urged people to take a ‘pledge’ not to burst firecrackers.
Notably, the government has been giving a clean chit to the stubble burning in AAP-ruled Punjab which is majorly responsible for Delhi’s poor air quality.
The emphasis on banning firecrackers and attributing pollution entirely to Diwali appears to be political laziness and an inability to impose constructive policy changes. Instead of blaming a 1-day festival, the govt needs to emphasize a more comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying causes of pollution. Further, the hypocritical government also needs to adopt the ban on firecrackers themselves before urging the people to stop bursting them given ‘concerns’ over air pollution.
