Orissa High Court allows dealers to sell green crackers - Hindustan Times
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Orissa High Court allows dealers to sell green crackers

ByDebabrata Mohanty
Nov 02, 2021 12:19 AM IST

Orissa High Court on Monday allowed firecracker sellers across the state to sell green crackers (ones that don’t emit much noise and gas and have reduced the size of shell) ahead of Diwali, officials said

Orissa High Court on Monday allowed firecracker sellers across the state to sell green crackers (ones that don’t emit much noise and gas and have reduced the size of shell) ahead of Diwali, officials said.

Image for representation. (File photo)
Image for representation. (File photo)

However, this comes with a number of preconditions including burning of crackers between 8 and 10 pm and selling by dealers and retailers authorised by the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization, the nodal agency for regulating the safety of hazardous substances such as explosives, compressed gases and petroleum.

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Disposing of a writ petition by the All Odisha Firecrackers Dealers Association, that sought relaxation on the ban of the sale of firecrackers imposed by the Odisha government, a division bench of chief justice S Muralidhar and justice BP Routray ruled that the orders passed by Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner, after meeting the firecracker dealers association on sale and use of green firecrackers that conform to the definition and formulation as proposed by CSIR-NEERI, would be followed.

This year, Diwali would be celebrated across the country on November 4.

“Sale and use of other fireworks would be completely banned. The sale and use of joined firecrackers (series crackers or laris) would also remain banned. Only those traders/dealers who obtain and produce a certificate from the PESO, after due inspection of their existing stock, certifying that the green fireworks stocks in their possession conform to the definition and formulation proposed by the CSIR-NEERI and are genuine would be allowed to sell their products,” the HC ruled quoting the SRC’s order on October 31.

Earlier, the HC asked the Special Relief Commissioner to take an appropriate decision over the contentious issue keeping in mind the directives of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal on the sale of firecrackers. The SRC then passed an order on October 31 after meeting the firecracker dealers.

Quoting from the guidelines issued by the SRC, the HC ordered that authenticated copy of the PESO certificate

granted to the dealers after due inspection of existing stocks lying in possession of the traders/dealers would be

deposited with the district administration/police commissioner for getting permission to sell the green fireworks.

Traders/dealers who fail to obtain and produce the certificate from PESO would not be allowed to sell their products. “Mere labelling of fireworks boxes as “green fireworks” and providing QR codes would not entitle any trader/dealer to sell the same. Only those retailers who obtain a license from the authorities concerned under the provisions of the Indian Explosive Act, 1884 would be allowed to sell green fireworks, the HC said.

As per PESO, green crackers are fireworks/firecrackers with reduced size of shell, minimum ash usage and reduced usage of raw materials in the compositions and use of additives as dust suppressants to reduce emissions with specific

reference to particulate matter. The green crackers have a minimum of 30 per cent reduction in particulate matter compared to routine crackers.

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