Which states have banned the sale and bursting of firecrackers during the festive season?

In Delhi, as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is coming closer, the state has taken the decision to ban firecrackers due to increasing pollution and a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to all Delhiites not to burn firecrackers kind on Diwali this year to control the increasing pollution, especially during this pandemic. This increase in pollution could prove to be very dangerous to people's health.

Speaking on the matter, CM Kejriwal tweeted, "Reviewed corona situation in Del n preparedness wid Chief Secy, Health officials and all DMs. Corona cases have increased due to festival season & pollution. It was decided to

1. Ban crackers in Delhi

2. Ramp up medical infra, Oxy n ICU beds are being increased in Delhi govt hospitals

3. Del HC has stayed our order to increase ICU beds in Pvt hospitals. Filed appeal in Supreme Court yesterday. We hope SC will lift the stay keeping in view the critical situation

4. Targetted testing

5. All steps shud be taken to ensure that the fatality rate does not increase

On Monday, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has decided to ban firecrackers till 30 November in Delhi-NCR. Their statement read, "celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases". This means that people will not be able to light fireworks on this Deepawali.

The ban first started in Odisha and Rajasthan but other states have soon followed.

On November 2, Rajasthan CM Gehlot announced the ban of firecrackers and tweeted, "State govt has taken the decision to ban the sale and bursting of firecrackers to protect the health of Covid-19 infected patients & public from poisonous smoke emanating due to fireworks. In this challenging corona pandemic time, protecting the lives of people is paramount for govt." In Odisha, the period of the ban is from November 10 to November 30.

Just last week, the Delhi government imposed a complete ban on the sale and bursting of all types of firecrackers from November 7 to November 30. The Calcutta High Court in West Bengal has also issued an order in this matter. According to officials, "Anyone found violating the court order will be dealt with strictly. The person will face action as per the law. It can be a six-month jail term."

In Haryana, the state has allowed people to burst firecrackers for two hours on Diwali following the guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to decrease air pollution. The Karnataka government following the Supreme Court guidelines has allowed the sale and bursting of only 'green crackers' during Diwali.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray requested people to celebrate Diwali by staying home and lighting Diyas and to not burst crackers. The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai's civic body has imposed a ban on the bursting of firecrackers at public places during Diwali adhering to the Supreme Court order because of rising COVID-19 cases in the city.

The Sikkim and Chandigarh government have issued a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers with immediate effect until further notice is given.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court’s ban on firecrackers during the upcoming festival season which the panel of judges rejected. Justice DY Chandrachud said, “We understand these festivals are important. We are in a situation where life itself is in danger. There can be no greater values than the preservation of life itself!"