Calcutta High Court orders blanket ban on use and sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali, Christmas

No firecrackers including green ones can be used during the upcoming festivities including Kali Puja, Diwali, Chhat Puja and Christmas in West Bengal.

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court while hearing a petition, ordered a complete ban on usage and sale of all kinds of firecrackers including green crackers during the upcoming festivities - Kali Puja, Diwali, Chhat Puja and Christmas.

The court while passing an order imposing the ban notified only wax or oil-based diyas will be permitted to be used.

Earlier, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board had allowed people to use green firecrackers for two hours - 8-10 pm on Diwali, two hours on Chhat Puja between 6-8 am and 35 mins on New Year's Eve.

However, striking down the West Bengal Pollution Control Board’s previous order, the Court observed that everyone has the right to live and for the larger interest of the public amidst the Covid pandemic, the ban was imposed. The court has observed that the police does not have any infrastructure to differentiate between firecrackers and green firecrackers hence the ban on sale and usage of all firecrackers was required.

This apart, the court instructed police to keep a strict vigil on the use and sale of all firecrackers.