Lok Sabha Question No. 3455 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-20
Subject: Blanket Ban on Fire Crackers
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: P. Velusamy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION N0. 3455

TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2021

## Blanket Ban on Fire Crackers

## 3455. SHRI VELUSAMY P.:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has received any requestfor a blanket ban on manufacture and sale of fire crackersfrom various agencies or from individuals;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  if not, the steps taken by the Government to ensuresafety of the general public from air and  noise  pollutiondue  to  bursting  of  fire  crackers  on  several  festivals,  politicaland religious functions?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) and (b)Yes Sir.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has received requestsfor blanket ban on manufacture and sale of fire crackers from individuals only, not from any agency. The details is given as Annexure-I.

(c)

The firecracker case is Sub-judice in Hon'ble Supreme Court, in Writ Petition (Civil) 728 of 2015in the matter of Arjun Gopal & Ors vs. Union of India &Ors. Hon'ble Supreme Court limited the manufacturing and sale of conventional firecrackers and allowed only the crackers with reduced emission (improved crackers) and green crackers. The Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO) has been directed to ensure fireworks with permitted chemicals only to be purchased/possessed/sold/used during Diwali and all other religious festivals, of any  religion  whatsoever,  and  other  occasions  like  marriages,  etc.  PESO  ensures  that  only those crackers whose decibel (sound) levels are within the limits are allowed in the market and  take  action  by  suspending  the  licenses  of  the  manufacturers  on  such  violations. Accordingly, new formulation fireworks and crackers as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court are manufactured and sold in the country.

Further, other steps taken to ensure safety of the general public from air and noise pollution due  to  bursting  of  fire  crackers inter  alia include  advisories  for  noise  monitoring  on  the occasion of Diwali, prohibition of the use of fireworks between 10.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m., publicity regarding the ill effects of the firecrackers and awareness programme.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO (a) and (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3455 DUE  FOR REPLY ON 20.12.2021  REGARDING 'BLANKET  BAN  ON  FIRE  CRACKERS'  BY  SHRI  VELUSAMY  P.,  HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

## Request received for Ban on Firecrackers during 2020 and 2021

1. Sh. Vineet Bharat, Ashok Vihar, Delhi, PMOPG/E/2020/0714958 dated 06.08.2020
2. Sh. Shreya Goyal, PMOPG/E/2020/0901748 dated 08.10.2020
3. Sh.ChiragMamodia, Rajasthan, PMOPG/E/2020/0919777 dated 16.10.2020
4. Sh.R. Tarapour, Ahmadnagar, Maharshtra, PMOPG/E/2020/0931358 dated 22.10.2020
5. Sh Umesh Chopra, Lucknow, UP, PMOPG/E/2020/0932107 dated 22.10.2020
6. Sh. ShivakumarMalipatil, Gulbarga, Karnataka, PMOPG/E/2020/0937683 dated 25.10.2020
7. Sh. Senthilnathan, Vellore, Tamilnadu, PMOPG/E/2020/0940232 dated 26.10.2020
8. Sh. Shashank, Bengaluru, PMOPG/E/2020/0953487 dated 01.11.2020
9. Sh. Aman Maheshwari, Gurugram, Haryana, PMOPG/E/2020/0960365 dated 04/11/2020
10.  Sh. Paramdeep Singh, Kurukshetra, Haryana, PMOPG/E/2020/ 0947031 dated 09.11.2020
11.  Sh. Nikhil Mathur, Sarjapura, Bengaluru DCLTR/E/2020/01382 dated 11.11.2020
12.  Sh. Sardar Avtar Singh, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, PMOPG/E/2020/10305 dated 10.12.2020
13.  Ms. Gungun, Jiradoi, Siwan, Bihar, PMOPG/E/2021/0401530 dated 08.06.2021
14.  Sh. Saurabh Bhargava Lambha, Ahmedabad, MINHA/E/2021/15854 dated 02.11.2021
15.  Sh. Nitya Narayanan, West Delhi, Delhi, MOEAF/E/2021/02062 dated 08.11.2021