October 26, 2016
Civic officials and police will be cracking down on people using high-decibel fire crackers this Deepavali
October 26, 2016
Civic officials and police will be cracking down on people using high-decibel fire crackers this Deepavali
Damage control:For the first time, citizens’ associations in Bengaluru have introduced the concept of designating spaces for bursting firecrackers. This is an attempt to cause less stress to people and pets.— Photos: Sudhakara Jain & K. Murali Kumar
With the aim of doing away with noise during the festival of lights, civic officials and the police will be cracking down on people using high-decibel firecrackers this Deepavali.
Despite being banned by multiple departments and a court order, firecrackers emitting noise beyond 125 decibels continue to make their way into assorted boxes of fireworks and into the streets of Bengaluru. The ‘bombs’ belong to this category. But this time, officials have promised stricter enforcement of curbs.
Last year, the noise and air pollution levels spiked by 30 per cent during the festive season. This year, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) aims to reduce the spike to at least 20 per cent. One of the key concerns is the rise in particulate matter because of the use of fireworks.
KSPCB has sent a circular to all agencies involved about the implementation of the various provisions and legislation governing the use and sale of firecrackers.
KSPCB chairman Lakshman said, “We have held many awareness programmes in schools and colleges persuading children to move away from firecrackers completely. We have also asked the police and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to strictly enforce the ban on high-decibel firecrackers.”
In an effort at nipping the problem in the bud, the KSPCB will start cracking down on manufacturers of the banned high-decibel variants of firecrackers next year. “We will also crack down on products coming into Karnataka from other States,” said Mr. Lakshman.
Courtesy: The Hindu
