Amritsar, October 7: To save the environment in and around the Golden Temple, the SGPC will experiment with specially designed eco-friendly firecrackers to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Ram Das on Saturday.
Lakhs of devotees reach Amritsar to witness lighting and fireworks at the shrine on Gurpurbs and Diwali. This time, more tourists are expected as the recently opened Heritage Street will be an added attraction.
A group of devotees from Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, has volunteered to arrange special firecrackers that emanate negligible smoke.
Roop Singh, SGPC secretary, said if the trial succeeded, the SGPC would go for the same firecrackers on Bandi Chhor Divas (Diwali) as well. “These look like ordinary firecrackers, but do not emanate smoke,” he said.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has advised the SGPC to avoid bursting of traditional firecrackers at the shrine complex.
The SGPC had proposed a laser show, instead of fireworks, but it could not be materialised. The fire show cannot be discontinued altogether as it is the traditional way to celebrate the occasion. Keeping in view the sentiments of devotees, the span of fireworks has been reduced from 30 minutes to 15 minutes.
The fireworks will take place at four spots in the Golden Temple complex — two locations are close to Ghanta Ghar and one each near Sikh Reference Library and Darshani Deodhi.
Iqbal Singh from Maharashtra said, “Smokeless fireworks are burst at Takht Sri Hazoor Sahib, Nanded.”
He showed the SGPC video clippings of fireworks at Nanded.
News Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
