State Govt should ensure only Green Crackers are sold: Karnataka HC

The Karnataka High Court, on Friday, directed the State government authorities, officers of local bodies, and police to ensure that only 'green crackers' affixed with logos of CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Petroleum Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and QR code are sold in the State.

. This direction was passed by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Vishwajith Shetty after it was informed that the State government had issued a new order on November 12 pertaining to green crackers after a November 12 High Court order .

.State is giving license to every person to define what a green cracker is: Karnataka HC observes in plea seeking ban on crackers. The new government order (GO) clarified that green crackers can be identified through the distinct green logo of CSIR-NEERI and PESO on their packaging.

. "Green Crackers don't contain harmful chemicals thereby reducing air pollution due to firecrackers considerably. These crackers are less harmful in comparison to conventional crackers," the GO states.

. The court then proceeded to pass the following directions :

. We direct State Government, local authorities and Police to ensure strict interpretation of the Government orders dated November 6 and November 10, as clarified by order dated November 12.

Officers of Local Authorities to ensure that green crackers bearing the specific requirements in the GO, (CSI_NEERI and PESO and QR code) only are sold.

State to give immediate wide publicity through news channels, local channels, social media to warn members of the public not to buy crackers without the said specifications.

Pollution Control Board (PCB) to ensure that decibel metres are available especially in bigger cities like Bangalore.

It is the duty of Police and PCB to attend to all complaints raised by citizens on noise pol lution

. The Court further added that it was the obligation of State and PCB to ensure that zero tolerance is shown to those who violate GOs and Noise Pollution Rules.

. The Division Bench also noted that stringent orders by way of interim relief cannot be issued as the petitioner had approached the Court belatedly.

. The court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking ban on crackers during Diwali.

. When the matter was taken up for hearing on Friday, the Court remarked that even the latest GO did not specifically forbid the sale or use of usual crackers.

. Petitioner, advocate Narendra Babu submitted that in name of green crackers, sellers may resort to selling regular crackers. "Deepavali is the festival of lights, not the festival of crackers. This was observed by the Calcutta High ", Babu submitted.

. The Court also questioned the State on the number of decibel metres it had for measuring noise levels.

. The State said it had 120 decibel metres but the Bench was unimpressed. " It is grossly insufficient, even for the city of Bengaluru," the court opined.

. The matter is now likely to be taken up next week.

State Govt should ensure only Green Crackers are sold: Karnataka HC

Rintu Mariam Biju

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