The West Bengal government has issued a notification, in accordance with an order of the Calcutta High Court, asking district magistrates to grant licences for only green fireworks during the upcoming festivals.
In the notification issued on October 19, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said there shall be a "complete ban" on the sale and bursting of all kinds of firecrackers, except green fireworks, in the state until further orders.
The notification specified that green crackers can be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm during Kali Puja and Diwali, from 6 am to 8 am on the occasion of Chhat Puja and from 11:55 pm to 12:30 am during Christmas and New Year's eve.
"... after taking necessary opinion from West Bengal Pollution Control Board and the environment department, it appears green crackers, manufactured by PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization) licence holders, having certificate of CSIR-NEERI which can be verified by the logo and QR code affixed on the box of the said green cracker can be considered as authentic for the purpose of sale and bursting at present," it said.
PESO is a nodal agency for regulating safety of hazardous substances such as explosives, compressed gas and petroleum, while CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) has been involved in various research and development activities for effective environmental monitoring in the country.
"We will strictly follow the green fireworks order of the Calcutta High Court and not allow any product which does not conform to the NEERI-PESO guidelines," state environment department Secretary Roshni Sen told PTI. To a question, she said the existing guidelines of WBPCB about adhering to the 90-decibel limit for green firecrackers remained in force.
(With PTI inputs)
