BMC bans bursting of firecrackers at public places in Mumbai, violators to face action

BMC has said that bursting firecrackers would release a lot of smoke and other pollutants which would adversely impact the health of Covid-19 patients and increase the risk of infection among the other high-risk categories like children or senior citizens.

Mumbai: Mumbai civic body – the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – has imposed a ban on the bursting of firecrackers at public places during Diwali in view of rising COVID-19 cases in the financial city.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani announced on Thursday that violators shall be penalized and the SOPs in this regard would be issued shortly.

The BMC said that the ban has been proposed in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the early winter that has set in.

A BMC official said that bursting firecrackers would release a lot of smoke and other pollutants which would adversely impact the health of Covid-19 patients and increase the risk of infection among the other high-risk categories like children or senior citizens.

Official sources said even the Maharashtra government is likely to impose similar prohibitions on firecrackers in public considering the grim Covid-19 scenario in many parts of the state and apprehensions of a second wave of the infection that may hit in winter.

Maharashtra currently has the highest cases and deaths due to the contagion with maximum number of active patients in Pune, Thane, Mumbai, Nashik, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Raigad and Satara. 

The state has recorded 16,98,198 infections till date and 44,548 fatalities since the first case on March 9.