Village cracks down on firecrackers

RAJKOT: A village in Rajkot district has set a unique example for others follow this Diwali. The gram panchayat of the Raj Samadhiyala village has passed a resolution that all villagers would abstain from using firecrackers.
Those flouting norms would have to pay a fine of Rs 51 for each firecracker that is burst. The aim of the decision, which was passed unanimously, is to keep the village of 1,700, free of air and noise pollution as well safeguard crops against fire.
And the resolution has the support of not just the local residents, but even the traders who used to sell firecrackers here.They have decided abide by the resolution.
Jitesh Bhatt, a firecracker-seller the village, says, "For the past five years, we have been selling crackers here, but if this time the villagers have agreed to not to burst firecrackers, we are ready to support their decision."
Taking similar pioneering decisions through unanimous resolutions is not new for this village which shot to fame in late 1980s when the Amitabh Bachchan film ‘Main Azad Hoon’ was shot here. More recently, the village launched a unique cleanliness drive.
The man inspiring these pioneering efforts is Hardevsinh Jadeja. "This village is a social laboratory. The reason behind taking this decision was the three core issues of safety, pollution and finance," he says.
Jadeja says the entire village has fields with dry crop. A small spark from firecrackers can create trouble as there are groundnut crops which are dry and can catch fire immediately.
"Further, we have had accidents in the past where children were injured while bursting crackers. Also, we do not want to pollute the village and mar its beauty and cleanliness," he says.
Not bursting crackers would also entail saving money which would be used to distribute sweets to the children of the village. This is better than "blowing it up", he says. Local resident Jivrajsinh Jadeja says, "The decision to avoid bursting crackers is a good move. Our village is known for its cleanliness. The smoke released after bursting crackers creates pollution and is not favourable to our environment."
According to him, "If 95 per cent of the people in our society are good, they can use the power of the majority to control the remaining five per cent."