The Basavaraj Bommai government on Saturday issued guidelines on the celebration of Diwali amid fears of a new Covid-19 outbreak. The state government has allowed the sale of only green crackers and advised people to strictly adhere to the social distancing norms in the view of COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in the day, West Bengal government imposed a ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers during upcoming festivals in view of pollution. On Tuesday, Punjab government announced a two-hour window to burst green firecrackers on Diwali and Gurpurb across the state.
Earlier this month, the government of Rajasthan imposed a fine on the sale and use of crackers other than the green crackers. The notification issued by the home department says that Rs 10000 will be fined on the sale and Rs 2000 on the use of conventional crackers. Whereas, in the national capital region (NCR) even green crackers cannot be sold or used.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned firecrackers in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday owning to high pollution levels, however, people in areas with low Air Quality Index (AQI) can burst green crackers for only two hours on Diwali.
