Mumbai, Oct 16 The Bombay High Court has warned that unchecked celebrations during festivals were turning urban centres into “toxic gas chambers” while ordering a complete ban on bursting of firecrackers on public roads and streets.
A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale had on Thursday said its order passed in August banning firecrackers on public roads and streets during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival would be applicable throughout the year.
In its order, made available on Friday, the court stressed that festival celebrations cannot come at the cost of public health.
The court raised concerns over alarming air pollution levels in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli, particularly during the post-monsoon season.
The court noted that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in some parts of Mumbai had recently touched 425, even before Diwali celebrations begin in November.
Bursting firecrackers would add to the existing toxicity in the air, making it difficult for citizens to breathe clean air and carry on with their daily activities, the high court said.
“Unchecked celebrations during festivals were turning urban centres into toxic gas chambers,” it said.
“The celebrations certainly need to take place, however, they cannot be at the cost of breaching the legal and constitutional rights of thousands of citizens, who are seriously and adversely impacted,” the court said.
Every citizen has the fundamental right to a pollution-free environment, it added.
The bench directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, municipal corporations and police to establish complaint mechanisms, appoint nodal officers and launch public awareness campaigns within a week. Field staff are to be equipped with decibel meters to monitor noise levels.
The order was passed on a plea taken up on its own by the HC in August over the increasing noise pollution during the Ganpati festival.
The court will hear the matter further on November 25.
(PTI News)
