Bengaluru traders who sell firecrackers that are not certified as “green” will be arrested and booked under the Explosives Act, according to city police commissioner Kamal Pant Monday.
Speaking to DH, Pant said that teams had been formed with experts to check the products sold at various shops. Those selling non-green crackers will be arrested and booked.
Following the state government’s orders banning non-green crackers, the police and concerned authorities are keeping a strict vigil on traders selling regular crackers instead of the eco-friendly ones, Pant added.
On Nov. 6, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa banned firecrackers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, following recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Health and Family Welfare Department. He asked people to celebrate the festival in a simple manner with green crackers.
Karnataka is the seventh Indian state to restrict the use of crackers. Rajasthan, Odisha, Sikkim, West Bengal, Delhi and Maharashtra have issued guidelines against bursting crackers keeping the pandemic and pollution in mind.