Tamil Nadu CM asks Rajasthan, Odisha counterparts to reconsider decision to ban sale & bursting of crackers

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has asked his counterparts Mr Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan and Mr Naveen Patnaik of Odisha to reconsider the decision to ban the sale and bursting of crackers during the Diwali season.

 

In a letter to both the Chief Ministers, Mr Palaniswamy has said bursting of green crackers for a limited period of two hours on the day of Diwali is permitted by the Supreme Court in its October 2018 judgment.

 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has said in his letter that in the state that contributes to over



90-percent of the firecrackers manufacturing, raw materials with reduced emission level and low decibels are being used. The industry provides direct employment to around 4 lakh people and indirect employment to an equal number of besides the sales network across the country. 

He has stressed that the state produces mainly green crackers limiting the impact on the environment. He has underscored that there is no empirical or validated data to demonstrate that the bursting of crackers has any effect on the Covid-19 patients