-SATISH HANDA
Haryana state government has given another shock to industry in China imposing complete ban over storage and sale of crackers manufactured in China illegally smuggling crackers of value worth over Rs 2010 crore in our country every year in-spite of ban on imports under Explosive Act allegedly being smuggled in our country via Bangladesh ports usually in containers having consignments of toys manufactured in China.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Central Pollution Control & Forest Ministry to impose ban over sale and use of crackers with effect from November 7 till November 30, 2020 in four states including Delhi, Haryana, U.P and Rajasthan to avoid spreading polluting in the environments in the area and causing damage to health of people. Haryana state government has imposed strict ban over storage and sale of crackers manufactured in China on the directions by NGT advising all Deputy Commissioners and SPs in Haryana state to impose strict ban over storage, sale and use of Chinese crackers and take stern action against violators with heavy fines and imprisonment since sale of imported crackers is not permissible without obtaining license from Foreign Trade Organization. According to NGT, pollution in above stated states as well as capital Delhi and NCR area presently facing a situation similar to a Gas Chamber extremely harmful for the health of residents, especially when people are suffering from epidemic outbreak likely to increase deaths rate of patients suffering from corona.
According to Explosive Act, there is strict ban over import and use of imported, especially crackers manufactured in China with harmful chemicals chloride and para-chloride used to manufacture these crackers and illegally smuggled to India via Bangladesh in the containers having consignments of toys and other products. Information reveals, such smuggled crackers are liable to explode easily, besides the chemical chloride used by the manufacturers in China to produce crackers due to much cheaper in cost as compared to use of Nitrate are very harmful to spread pollution in the atmosphere, besides harming the sale of indigenously licensed cracker manufacturers in the country producing crackers as per approved formulations.
