UK to implement SC order strictly

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

Following on the order of the apex court, Uttarakhand Government has said that no cracker will be allowed to burst after prescribed time limit. Although they are yet to decide two hour window for crackers.

In its judgement, the Supreme Court has left it to the discretion of the State Governments to fix the timing for the two-hour limit.

The state chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh said that the state has received the SC order and appropriate action would be taken to execute it.

The timing of the two-hour window for crackers would soon be decided. Ironically, the pollution levels in major towns of Uttarakhand rise alarmingly on the night of Diwali.

As per Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) data, on Deepawali last year, Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) shot up to 166.17 Microgramme per cubic meter at the Clock Tower area of Dehradun while on Rajpur Road, the figure was 267 microgramme per cubic meter. RSPM levels above 100 microgramme is considered dangerous.

Besides it, the level of nitrogen, sulphur di-oxide also shoots up on Diwali night. The bursting of crackers also raise the level of sound pollution.

The regional officer UEPPCB, S S Rana said that factors like rains and wind speed play an important role in determining air quality data. He said that if rain happens immediate after Deepawali then air quality would improve remarkebly.