Soon after the Karnataka government banned the sale and use of firecrackers during Diwali festival in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that he would appeal to people to use only “green crackers”.
“We received many suggestions after we proposed a ban on firecrackers this Diwali. People should celebrate in a simple manner considering the safety of their children and themselves. I request people to burst only green crackers and celebrate the festival in a simple way,” Yediyurappa said.
Earlier today, Karnataka government had banned the sale and use of firecrackers during Diwali festival in the state.
“We have discussed this, and we have decided to ban bursting crackers during Deepavali. The government will be issuing an order soon. So, because of COVID-19 and other reason, this time around, we have banned the use of firecrackers,” Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru.
When asked what category of firecrackers will be banned, the Chief Minister said that the government has decided to ban all firecrackers.
Karnataka is the first BJP-ruled state issue such an order. So far, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal and Haryana have banned the sale and use of firecrackers during deepavali.
His announcement comes days after Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar had said that meetings have been held with health experts, including members of the state’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), to take a decision on the matter.
“Experts have suggested that firecrackers can badly impact the health of those who have already been infected by COVID and even to those who have not. However, I have asked them to further deliberate and submit a report soon. Based on their report, we will discuss the matter with the Chief Minister and take a call,” the minister had said.
He added that those who have recovered from the virus will be vulnerable as their immunity and respiratory system will still be fragile.
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