Within a few hours of announcing a blanket ban on the sale and use of firecrackers in the month of November, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa gave in to public demand and allowed the sale and use of “green crackers” in the state.
In a fresh order issued on November 6, Yediyurappa said to ensure the health and safety of persons infected with COVID-19 and those who are susceptible to suffer from respiratory distress, the Karnataka government will only allow the sale and use of green crackers.
He tweeted: “We received several suggestions after we proposed a ban on firecrackers during Diwali 2020 celebrations. People should celebrate in a simple manner considering the safety of their children and themselves. I request people to only burst green crackers.”
Only a few hours before making this announcement, the Karnataka Chief Minister had decided to ban bursting of all kinds of firecrackers during Diwali after holding talks with public health experts.
The announcement was met with immense social media backlash, and people started calling Yediyurappa “anti-Hindu”.
It is believed that the CM succumbed to this pressure and made a U-turn on his decision to allow green crackers.
Notably, green crackers, which are developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), help reduce particulate matter by barely 40 percent.
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