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Kolkata not ready for green crackers

Tall Order: Manufacturers, dealers in doubt over production

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After the Supreme Court okayed only green crackers during Diwali and other festivities, fireworks manufacturers and dealers said that they were not ready with 'green' crackers and that it was not possible to do so ahead of Diwali and Kali Puja which are in early November.

Chairman of the West Bengal Fire Crackers Development Association Babla Roy during a meeting with members of the state administration on Friday said that they were ready to adhere to the guidelines of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) of keeping the sound limit up to 90 decibel. But manufacturers were not ready with environment friendly crackers. "There are certain chemicals used for manufacturing fireworks, the use of which has been banned. I don't know if it is possible to produce crackers without those. If it is, then producers are not ready to produce those at such a short notice," Roy told DNA.

Present at the meeting were senior officials of the police, fire and electricity department along with authorities of the Public Works Department (PWD), WBPCB and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). Sources said that fireworks manufacturers and dealers were told that they would have to stick to the SC order when Roy put forward his statement.

Roy also said that they had communicated their queries to the administration. "Our demands include a single window clearance for licence, restoring of the 'bazi bazaar' at Lake Town, setting of rules at least two months ahead of the festivals and immediate ban on Chinese fire crackers," Roy said.

On Monday, fire crackers would be tested in front of the police and WBPCB officials and there it would be decided which fireworks can be sold in the open market and which ones won't not be.

Chittaranjan Maity, secretary of Burrabazar Fireworks Dealers' Association said that it would have been better if there was an extension of the two-hour window for bursting crackers. "Definitely it would have helped if there was another extra hour. The two hour restriction will have its effect on sales of fireworks but nevertheless we will have to stick to the SC order," Maity said.

WBPCB officials however, welcomed the apex court's orders. "It has been observed that if not as severe as New Delhi, but pollution level in Kolkata goes up too, during and after Diwali so the restrictions will definitely help tame the pollution," said chairman of the WBPCB, Dr Kalyan Rudra.

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