New Delhi: After witnessing a subdued Durga Puja, Meghalaya and other states might go for a noiseless Diwali, with the National Green Tribunal issuing notice to as many as 18 states, including the hill state, on use of fire crackers during the festival of lights.
The environment watchdog expanded the ambit of hearing cases on pollution by use of firecrackers beyond the National Capital Region and issued notices to 18 states and Union Territories where air quality is beyond prescribed norms.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted that it has already issued notice to Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and the state governments of Odisha and Rajasthan have already issued a notification prohibiting the sale and use of firecrackers.
The green panel sought responses from Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
“Having regard to further developments such as grievance being raised for the State of MP and States of Odisha and Rajasthan have banned the use of firecrackers in the wake of unsatisfactory air quality, the scope of proceedings may need to be extended beyond NCR so as to suggest that in all the concerned states where air quality is not satisfactory may consider taking action on the pattern of action taken by the States of Odisha and Rajasthan,” the bench said.
Incidentally, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board has already introduced a sensor-based monitoring technology for measuring particulate matter (PM10 and PM 2.5). Environmentalists applaud it as a significant acknowledgement of this technology by a regulatory agency.
