Chandigarh, November 1: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday allowed the bursting of firecrackers for two hours – from 8 to 10 pm. The Bench modified its earlier directions of allowing bursting of crackers from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm on Diwali and Gurpurb following the Supreme Court directions.
The Bench modified the timing after an application was moved by the amicus curiae or the friend of the court, Anupam Gupta.
He was seeking clarification in terms of the Supreme Court judgement that allowed crackers for two hours only.
The direction by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli came during the hearing of a suo motu or “court of its own motion” case for controlling pollution caused by crackers.
Justice Amit Rawal of the High Court had earlier taken suo motu cognizance of pollution caused by the fireworks during the Diwali season. In his five-page note, Justice Rawal had expressed serious concerns on the increasing level of pollution in the region and its effects on human life.
“Being the festive season of Diwali, I am of the view that it is high time for the court to take a cognizance of alarming increase of pollution, resulting into a health hazard, particularly to the persons, who have respiratory problems.
“The SC has already issued guidelines in its order, released on September 12, 2017, with regard to prohibition on use of compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic and lead in the manufacture of fireworks and use certain other materials which are permissible”, observed Justice Rawal in his note.
The Bench had, subsequently, allowed bursting of crackers for three hours from 6.30 pm during Diwali and Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary celebrations. Enlarging the scope of anti-cracker case, the Bench had also brought the blazing issue of stubble burning under its scanner.
Source Tribune India
