New Delhi [India], January 6 (HBTV): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Maneka Gandhi on Monday spoke strongly against the use of firecrackers amid severe air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region, asserting that there was ‘no such thing as green firecrackers’ and blaming their use for deteriorating air quality.
Referring to the scale of firecracker usage during festivals, Gandhi questioned its impact on the environment. ‘If firecrackers worth INR 800 crore are burst only in Delhi on Diwali, what will be the consequence?’ she asked.
She alleged that those who frequently burst firecrackers were responsible for worsening pollution levels. ‘Those who use firecrackers are traitors to the country. I have no other words for it in my mind. On Diwali, on Dussehra, at weddings, on New Year’s, during cricket matches, or on any other day, these people burst firecrackers, as a result of which we can’t even breathe,’ the former Union Minister told ANI.
Gandhi dismissed other commonly cited causes of air pollution, saying they were being used as excuses. ‘In the country, we blame other things — that someone is burning fields or that there’s a problem with vehicles — but all that is a lie. The air is clean until three days before Diwali, and from Diwali until the New Year, we can’t breathe,’ she said.
She added that pollution had also affected people’s mental health. ‘We are in depression because this poisonous air won’t go away until it rains. There’s no such thing as green firecrackers in the world. The strange thing is that those who use firecrackers the most are the same ones who accuse the government the most,’ she said.
Meanwhile, air quality across several parts of the national capital remained in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ category on Monday, with multiple flights delayed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index of 260 in the ‘poor’ category by 8 am. The city has been under Graded Response Action Plan Stage III and IV restrictions for several days this winter due to high pollution levels. (ANI)