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Lucknow, Oct 11 (IANS) After the Supreme Court allowed the sale of green firecrackers five days ahead of Diwali, Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput on Saturday welcomed the decision but urged that similar laws implemented in Delhi should be implemented across the country. He said that if there is pollution in Delhi then it is present in the entire country also.
The statement comes after the Supreme Court on Friday reserved its verdict on the Delhi government’s plea seeking permission to use certified green firecrackers for Diwali celebrations in the national capital.
Surendra Rajput, speaking to IANS, said, “If the Supreme Court has given its approval, it should definitely be welcomed. However, there is a request to the Supreme Court that the laws applicable in Delhi should be implemented across the country. Pollution is not limited to Delhi only, it is present across the country. It would be contradictory that people in Delhi are protected from polluted air while others are not. The government and the BJP should ensure that the laws implemented in Delhi are implemented across the country as well. Cleanliness should also be given priority.” Celebration.”
Meanwhile, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K. Hinting at the temporary lifting of restrictions for celebrations, a division bench of Vinod Chandran said: “For the time being, we will allow lifting of restrictions during Diwali.”
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the top court of several safeguards, including that sales would be done through licensed traders and only permitted manufacturers would be allowed to sell.
On September 26, a bench led by CJI Gavai had temporarily allowed certified manufacturers of green crackers, who have permits from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), to manufacture green crackers in Delhi-NCR.
However, the top court told the manufacturers not to sell any of their green crackers in the prohibited areas until further orders.
In April this year, Justice Abhay S. Oka (now retired) and Ujjal Bhuyan said that imposing a firecracker ban only for a period of 3-4 months every year is not effective, and no exception should be allowed even for green firecrackers.
Noting that air pollution levels have remained of concern for quite some time, the apex court had said that unless it was shown that the pollution caused by green crackers was minimal, there was no question of exempting them.
It was observed that the right to health is an essential part of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which also includes the right to live in a pollution-free environment.
In January this year, the Supreme Court had extended the effect of orders passed by the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments imposing a complete ban on firecrackers in areas falling under the Delhi-NCR region. It had ordered that the ban imposed by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, which was effective till January 17, be extended until further orders.
Earlier, the top court had said that the ban already imposed by the Delhi and Rajasthan governments would be effective only if the remaining states also implement similar measures.
After pointing out that Haryana has allowed the use of green firecrackers while Rajasthan has imposed a complete ban on firecrackers in the NCR region, the top court had asked the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments to impose a ban on firecrackers on the lines of Delhi.
In November last year, after Diwali, the Supreme Court had remarked that the ban on firecrackers was hardly enforced in the national capital and had pulled up the Delhi government for not enforcing it. It had sought an affidavit from the Delhi government and the Police Commissioner detailing the steps taken to implement the ban.
The top court had suggested that apart from banning the import of firecrackers from neighboring states, the premises of firecracker sellers should be sealed.
–IANS
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