Ominous flouting of Apex Court Order on Fire Crackers
‘Diwali gets noisier; more polluted despite SC curbs’ screams the newspaper headline. The most auspicious Hindu festival of Deepawali or Diwali is celebrated all over the country. On this day Laxmi and Ganesha are worshipped for bringing prosperity and happiness. The other reason is that people rejoice the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after his victory over the demon king Ravana. It also marks the harvesting of crops heralding the change of weather reminding us to protect and preserve the ecological balance. However, it has now become a very hazardous festival because of the uncontrolled use of firecrackers, although it is associated with lights and lamps. To curb and control the water and air pollution, Parliament passed the Environment Protection Act of 1986 but still, the level of pollution is going on unabated. The Supreme Court of India has played a sterling role by banning many factories to maintain the ecological balance and keep the water and air neat and clean, yet th