GUWAHATI: People celebrating Diwali with firecrackers in Guwahati and Kamrup (Metro) district won’t be able to burst them after 10 pm on November 12.
Issuing several new directives for the Diwali celebrations, the Kamrup Metro District Administration on Wednesday, imposed a complete ban on bursting firecrackers between 10 pm to 8 am in the district.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Kamrup Metro, Dhrubajyoti Hazarika, announced these guidelines post a meeting with other district officials. He further added that and residents are only allowed to burst green crackers for two hours between 8pm and 10 pm on Sunday.
The directives also include ban on manufacture, sale and use of fire-crackers generating noise level “exceeding 125 dB(Al) or 145 dB(C)pk at 4 m distance from the points of bursting,” it has been reported.
Besides this, the administration has declared areas around certain landmarks in the city as silent zones which includes the Gauhtai High Court, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Assam Secretariat, etc.
Meanwhile, licensees selling crackers are directed to sell only Indian-made green crackers and are advised to abide all orders of the concerned authorities.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended the ban on the use of barium and banned chemicals in firecrackers to the entire country.
This clarification came during a hearing in response to an application seeking compliance with the Court’s orders regarding the ban on barium firecrackers and the reduction of air and noise pollution during the festive season.
The Court reiterated that its existing orders stand, requiring all states in India to adhere to the guidelines.
In 2021, the apex court had issued a series of directives to ensure the non-use of banned chemicals in fireworks before Diwali.
The Court had clarified that it did not impose a complete ban on firecrackers but rather prohibited only those containing barium salts. The use of “green crackers” was allowed in accordance with the Court’s 2018 directives.
