A number of states, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Odisha, have banned the use of firecrackers ahead of the festival week, but unfortunately the Karnataka government has done a flip flop on the matter, as it has done on some other matters in the past. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced in the morning on Friday that the sale and bursting of firecrackers would be banned during Deepavali, but retracted the statement in the evening. He appealed to the people to burst only green crackers and to keep the celebrations simple and meaningful. Health Minister K Sudhakar had earlier said that the technical committee overseeing the fight against Covid-19 had recommended the ban as the smoke from crackers would have a negative impact on the health of people, especially those who have recovered from Covid-19.
The Covid situation in Karnataka is still bad, and the state has the second largest number of cases in the country after Maharashtra. Its cities, especially Bengaluru, has been a hotspot and the recent fall in the number of infections could be deceptive. There is no reason to relax the vigil against the pandemic. It is widely believed that the winter and the increase in air pollution will aid the spread of the pandemic. The bursting of crackers is a major cause of pollution, and even in normal years there were calls for a ban on them. The chief minister has said that the government has taken the necessary measures to control Covid-19, but it is doubtful if all the viruses in the state know about these steps. It is also not known whether they distinguish between green crackers and the more deadly ones and lie low when the more benign ones burst. The meaning that can be conveyed with the burst of crackers can only be of lack of concern for public health.
Bengaluru is not considered to be a good place for those who have respiratory problems and ailments. Covid-19 targets the respiratory system, and the pollution from cracker bursts could make people more vulnerable to the virus. Bengaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Davanagere are among the 122 non-attainment cities (cities that have fallen short of air quality standards for the last five years) listed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) as very vulnerable to disease during the festival. The tribunal has issued notices to Karnataka and some other states on the matter and is set to issue its orders on Monday. Why did the government go back on its right decision? No festival is bigger than health, and if the government acted under pressure from any lobby or vested interests, it did not have the best interests of the people in mind.