Burst of ignorance: Green crackers’ uptake fizzles out despite eco-innovations

While scientists at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) are innovating formulations to reduce cracker emissions by 50 to 70%, the uptake of green crackers in Bengaluru is still minimal.

Green crackers cut down the emission by nearly 30% and the Supreme Court in 2018 directed all the states to ensure that a ban on other crackers is enforced strictly. Though the ban has been effective for five years now, the ground reality seems to be different. 

While as an aftermath of the tragic fire accident on October 7 at Attibele, Bengaluru City Police conducted a series of raids and inspections, enforcement of green crackers on the ground is not up to the mark, activists have pointed out. 

“While this (ban) has been in force for a while, there is a lack of will to execute the same. There are multiple government bodies involved in enforcement and there is a need to establish a monitoring mechanism to enforce the ban,” said Harini Raghavan from the PACT (Public Health Action). PACT members have also written to the Home Minister requesting him to enforce the ban. 

With just a week left for Deepavali, many of the dealers are stocking up on crackers from across the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Manufacturers and dealers working on the ground revealed to DH that the sale of illegal traditional crackers is rampant. “Before we stock up the crackers we have to check if the companies are approved by NEERI and all of them have the green cracker logo. However, many dealers buy crackers from Hosur since it is available at a cheaper price. Hosur is a hub of cracker mafia and none of the dealers who buy from there bother to check if the crackers meet the quality standards,” a cracker dealer from South Bengaluru said. 

Yet another dealer said that many fake green crackers were making the rounds in the markets. “It is important that we, as dealers, also check the authenticity of the product since we sell it to customers. Many times, there are fake stickers and logos and if we don’t verify the manufacturer with the list made available by NEERI, we might fall prey to it,” said M Kumar, a retail dealer in Bengaluru. 

Senior officials from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) said that they are working closely with the district administration, Police, and fire safety personnel to crack down on non-green crackers.

“Our officials are a part of every Police team that is conducting raids in the city. They are verifying if the crackers are green and if need be opening the packets for further investigation,” said Prabhash Chandra Ray, Member Secretary, KSPCB.

Senior police personnel also maintained that they were checking for all possible violations during their inspections and raids. 

Lured by discounts

The ban on non-green crackers is half effective if people refuse to buy and this is not happening in Bengaluru, the dealers said. While the scientists from NEERI said that the cost of manufacturing both green and non-green crackers is the same, dealers said that non-green crackers are usually available at a cheaper rate in the market. 

“People fall prey to the huge discounts offered. For instance, a 1000 wala cracker costs at least Rs 1,000. If it is being sold for Rs 200, people should question such cheap rates and check for its authenticity. But many of them are happy getting stocks at lower prices,” Kumar said. 

Yet another dealer said that many of the customers do not inquire about the green crackers and choose from what is available at the stalls. KSPCB is the agency responsible for creating awareness among the people. “We will intensify the awareness campaign going ahead. Every waste-carrying vehicle will play a message from today and we will also try to reach out to people through all possible means of communication,” Ray said.