By: Anjali Jhangiani
PUNE: Several residents of
Kalyaninagar
have raised strident voices to
boycott firecrackers
this year over concerns that the consequent spike in air pollution can make citizens more susceptible to Covid-19.
One group, who styled themselves ‘Team Swachh Kalyaninagar’ distributed posters against firecrackers.
“With the pandemic still rampant, it is important to not worsen the situation. The government should look into curbing air pollution caused by
firecrackers
during Diwali. I have many friends with respiratory problems, which are aggravated by the smoke from firecrackers,” said 76-year-old Pradeep Shroff, who made and printed the posters.
Younger residents of Landmark Garden housing society led a march around the premises, raising the slogan, “Say no to crackers”. Jayalalitha H, a resident, said she was happy that youngsters were taking initiative. “We began this campaign with the help of young residents. They are the future and it’s great to see them so concerned,” she said.
“We are taking active steps to bring together people living in the area to boycott firecrackers this year,” Rajeshwari Lakhani, another resident of the area, said.
Resident of Talera Park society, Anu Aggarwal, said it was important for residents to desist from buying firecrackers. “The government has issued permits for
firecracker
stalls, so we can only self-regulate and impose a voluntary ban on purchasing firecrackers this year, in light of the pandemic. We have put up posters in many gated communities in the area and spread the word on WhatsApp groups about this initiative,” Aggarwal said.
Local corporator Yogesh Mulik has joined the cause. “By the time I got to know that fire cracker stalls were being set up on open grounds, it was too late to do anything, as they had all the permits. I support the residents and will make sure this does not happen next time,” Mulik said.
Nilesh Agarwal, managing partner at Agarwal fireworks, said, “We are careful about the products we sell. We stock only green crackers that are CSIR-NEERI approved. The government did not allow us to put up stalls during Ganeshotsav, and we have suffered massive losses all year. I am a resident of the area and support the campaign, but also have the responsibility of running my business and paying my employees.”
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