Category: Lok Issues

Amit Jain, 43, owner of Ajit Fireworks in Delhi, wonders why green crackers supply was not put firmly in place before banning regular firecrackers. He believes pollution control must not be limited to just one day of the year.

For three generations, my family has been in the fireworks business. Since 2017, the sales of firecrackers have been going down steadily. After the Supreme Court ruling regarding green crackers last year, we and many others in the business were hoping that sales would revive. However, the market is seeing a tremendous shortage of green crackers.

It is so disheartening to see children coming to our shops with expectant faces and going back disappointed because either there are no green crackers at all or even when they are available, one can only choose between phuljhadi and anaar. Clearly, the supply lines of green crackers are dry, and variety even worse.

I often wonder why people, most importantly environmental activists, try to solve any problem only at the surface level. There is no denying the fact that Delhi-NCR is seeing unprecedented levels of pollution, and the situation gets worse in early winter months, which is also the festival season. But the government and activists should work in a focussed manner towards population control.

Pollution doesn’t happen by itself, people create pollution. It is more important to educate people and give them alternatives – like ensuring proper supply of green crackers across cities – before introducing such a drastic measure. Buyers and sellers both wait for festivals to celebrate life. What good is a festival like Diwali without some fireworks?

Currently, Delhi’s population stands at 2.9 crores and the amount of waste generated is huge, creating water and air pollution. That should be taken more seriously the whole year round, rather than curbing emissions on a single day. When we provide better infrastructure to the people living in a city, people also take care of the city and try to solve its many problems. So if people really want to have an eco-friendly Diwali, may I suggest they take care of the environment the whole year round and begin preparations a year in advance for Diwali celebrations!

And yes, I feel population explosion is the root cause of most social ills. Less people means there is more space for a person to express themselves in a healthy manner. When people are happy, environment is happy. I hope things will change for the better next year. Many fireworks makers from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu (the hub of fireworks business) have now been trained to make eco-friendly/green crackers that have low emission as well as low decibel levels. Next year we hope to have a better Diwali.

Harjeet Chawala, 40, a trader at Sadar Bazaar market in Delhi, says his business nosedived since the ban on crackers. 

Since childhood, Diwali for me has meant a host of festivities.  Firecrackers were an integral part of it, as our family has been selling them for years. Our business has largely been dependant on only one day -Diwali. We have had buyers for Chhat Puja and New Year’s Eve, but that was just a tiny fraction of our business. With the Supreme Court banning firecrackers and allowing only green crackers in the market, our business has gone for a toss. 

People in Delhi-NCR used to splurge on firecrackers, but now there is no enthusiasm in the market for Diwali. Delhiites have come a long way from competing with each other for bursting more crackers. I understand the environmental concerns. But I do not understand why the honourable Supreme Court has banned the sale of crackers and not their manufacturing. 

Green crackers, which the court has allowed are not available anywhere. Some merchants are selling them online, but they are not available anywhere in the wholesale market. People in the firecracker business have no idea about how they can be procured. We do not know how we can get a license for dealing in them. Whom do we approach for buying them in buk? 

A pack of green crackers is very expensive. You can find them online priced between Rs 300 and Rs 600 for a pack of six to 12 crackers. We heard that these crackers release smoke. Is there any license required to sell them? How can the online companies like Amazon and Flipkart sell them? Do they have a license for it? Are they safe to use?

The ban has left us with a string of unanswered questions. Even the government officials are confused. They don’t know the details about green crackers as many of them have never used or seen them.  We had many clients, mostly licensed shop-owners from western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Now they are also buying crackers from the manufacturers directly as any consignment of firecrackers is not allowed in the national capital. Like previous two Diwalis, this festival too is going to be dark for us.

(Chawala did not wish to be photographed for this story)

A few days ahead of Diwali, shopkeepers at Deputy Ganj, North India’s largest metal utensil market, lament poor footfall this season. The sales are nearly 25 per cent less compared to last year, they tell LokMarg. Yet, they haven’t lost all hope yet.

Traders in Delhi rue that court orders on pollution and government policy on crackers have blown away their annual festival business.

Babeetta Sakxena, 52, is a social entrepreneur based in Noida, Delhi-NCR, who has been working towards a pollution-free Diwali by sensitising people about environment. She shares her view on how going back to our roots will lead to a ‘green Diwali’.

I have been organising Green Diwali Bazaar at the Aga Khan Hall (a prime location for exhibition and niche bazaars) for the past three years and I must say that the attitude of people regarding pollution, especially due to the humongous amount of crackers burnt on Diwali, has undergone a sea change.

In fact, there are many people who want to celebrate a more environment-friendly Diwali but just don’t know how to or even if they know how to the products are not easily accessible. Right now as per news there’s a serious shortage of green crackers and people don’t know how to deal with it. They only need a little hand-holding and we are more than glad to provide sustainable products for Diwali.

However, even though green crackers still haven’t made their way into the markets, one of our initiatives called Back to Roots creates awareness about how some of our older traditions were worth their weight in gold when it came to protecting the environment.

I believe one does not need a law to be passed to protect the environment. In olden times, it was a way of life. And hence the Back to Roots initiative. Caring for the plants, trees and animals has been like caring for your family in this country. Everything from diyas to crackers could be disposed off easily.

The pollution scene in Delhi-NCR since 2016 has been particularly bad. This reaches its worst level on Diwali festival. Earlier, there were reports of how asthma patients would suffer terribly on Diwali, but now the whole winter season in Delhi-NCR has become difficult to bear. Add to that skin issues as well as problems like chronic fatigue because of pollution, the effects of which aren’t immediately visible, but take a heavy toll on people.

I am glad that the new Supreme Court ruling last year allows for the sale of only green crackers which have low emissions as well as low decibel levels. In fact, if I may suggest, we can perhaps do away with crackers altogether, green or not. Even if every person bursts a few crackers, it undoes months of pollution control measures (The current population of Delhi is 2.9 crores).

After all, Diwali is about letting your inner light shine bright and the crackers are just a ritualistic representation of that.

A child like Greta Thunberg has shown us the way to live a greener and cleaner life and we see many kids not wanting to buy crackers at all but trying to celebrate Diwali in other ways: like through music and food. And in my opinion caring for the environment is a bigger duty than patriotism or akin to it. If you really want to serve your nation, serve your environment.

Anupendra Singh, 42, an advocate-cum-social worker from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh has worked with the marginalised sections of the society teaching them about the benefits of population control. While he agrees with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to the nation to adopt population control measures, he says that overpopulation is not limited to a specific community. While addressing the issue, the 90 crore Hindus living in India must be sensitised too.

I have been working towards empowering large sections of marginalized people for the past 15 years making them aware of the dangers of over-population. It is an issue close to my heart. I feel that overpopulation is the root cause of multiple problems.

The PM, during his Independence Day speech, said that population control is an act of patriotism and I totally agree with it. However, I would like to mention here that overpopulation is not a community-specific problem. India’s population is close to 130 crore, nearly 90 crore people are Hindus and 30 crore are Muslims and the rest belong to other faiths. When we talk about population control, we must reach out to the 90 crore Hindus, who form the major chunk of India’s population.

Over the years I have been part of several projects aimed at population control. We have organised numerous camps, workshops, which included both individual as well as group counselling sessions. People attended them in droves. I have found that several people are open to the idea of population control and family planning, but they do not know how to go about it in the face of societal pressure. However, there are many people who try to shrug it off saying:  Ye hamare ghar ka mamla hai. Hum dekh lenge. (This is our private matter, we can handle this on our own) 

They fail to understand that a family is the basic unit of the society, which is a part of a state, and that state is part of a country. A family unit is a microcosm of a nation. Nearly 70 percent of the world’s population lives on almost 2.5 percent of the world’s land area and the area per person is shrinking at a horrific pace. This shrinking physical space can lead to lawlessness and anti-social behaviour.

The unemployment rate is on the rise. With the sheer number of people we have in our country, even if people got employed, the quality of work they would get wouldn’t be good. So if we want a quality life for everyone, our first priority should be population control.

Irrespective of age, everyone should spread the message of population control. While the adults can adopt and endorse family planning measures, youngsters can just educate people informally or by volunteering with NGOs. I run two schools in Moradabad and I make sure that my teachers and principals utilise the assemblies by talking about how kids can contribute towards betterment of society.

Children come to us with queries, related to family planning and other social issues. The prime minister should understand that it is the bureaucracy, the MLAs and MPs, who are the most important cogs in the wheel, when it comes to population control. If population control is the patriotic duty of every citizen, then the bureaucracy and the elected representatives must ensure that people take it seriously.

They also need to understand why people go for large families (what their insecurities or fears are) and then work with them to eliminate those fears. However, if they just go for population control without understanding the basic reasons and emotions of people, it will only be a temporary solution.

Team LokMarg speaks small traders and hawkers selling decorative items for Diwali festival in Delhi wholesale markets. The buyer sentiment is dismal, say most of the shopkeepers on camera, and the sales are going down with each passing year.

Mohammad Inam, 42, a victim of communal riots, leads by example on harmony

My family in Meerut was attacked by a murderous mob in 2011 when communal riots hit the city. The trauma of the attack will live with us for the rest of our lives. I had to take my daughter to a hospital in Delhi because she had suffered 50 per cent burn injuries. 

But I did not let the tragedy of taking away my senses. Instead of decrying the attack as a communal conflict, I told everyone concerned about my safety that those who attacked my home were not representatives of a particular community. They were criminals. 

Soon after the attack some Muslim leaders appeared at my doorstep, asking me to give a statement about the attack. I understood their intentions. They clearly wanted to give a communal colour to the incident. 

I stood my ground and refused to give any statement that would have further escalated the issue creating a rift between Hindus and Muslims. I told them that those who attacked my house were Hindus but those who came forward to save me were Hindus too. 

‘Mazhab nahi sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna’ (religion never teaches enmity), this is my firm belief. I now live with my family at a highrise society in Greater Noida West and I am surrounded by Hindus. I feel safe with them.  Nobody can think of harming me or my family here as my Hindu friends will never allow it to happen.

We were created as human beings but we divided ourselves and segregated ourselves on the basis of cast, creed,  religion, nationality. There are endless boundaries. I always tell my friends (both Hindu and Muslim) to think positively about each other’s religion. 

In an effort to spread my message of tolerance and communal harmony, I organize bhandaras (community lunches) on Muharram, instead of participating in mourning precession. This is a social service, I do to mark the occasion. This is what we need to do for a progressive and inclusive Indian society. I have also organised bhandaras on the birthday of Prophet Mohammad sahib, the death anniversaries of my parents and many other occasions.

Leaving the traumas of the past behind and learning from bad experiences of the past is the need of the hour. I am thankful to the  almighty that my  daughter is still alive and healthy, after receiving 50 per cent burn injuries at the age of 18 months. I believe that from somewhere Allah watches us and rewards us for being good and kind.  My daughter is a gift from God and Allah has saved her. So far she has been through six surgeries, one surgery still remains. 

Almost all my neighbours are Hindus, and I can count on them for any kind of help. My Hindu friends participate in every Muslim festival I celebrate, and likewise, I participate in all the Hindu festivals, especially Holi. We have created a  very closely knit community, where religion is not a barrier. We organise  cleanliness and plantation drives and carry out social services on every occasion.

This is what we need to tell our future generations.  Some people still cannot fathom,  how I am thriving with my Hindu neighbours after the attack on my family. I simply invite them to live the life I am living, they will understand the beauty of inclusiveness. One day inshah-Allah, we all shall shun the hardline views of religion and make this country a better place to live. We must  be remembered for love and kindness, and not for hatred and divisiveness — this is what all religions teach.

Nitish, 41, is a technology professional in Delhi-NCR, says Indian roads are full of negligent, rash drivers who put lives of other law-abiding road users at risk. Heavy penalities are a must to keep them in check

I live in Indirapuram and travel to Noida for work every day. On an average I commute about 50 kms each day. I have to navigate through a sea of vehicles on the road and be on high-alert while driving. But no matter how careful you are, you cannot rule out chances of an accident. There are many negligent, rash drivers on the road who put the life of several law abiding drivers at risk. The amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act will hopefully keep such irresponsible people in check.  

The heavy penalties will act as a deterrent for the errant drivers, who do not respect other drivers or pedestrians. With these penalties, people will start taking traffic rules seriously. Earlier, the rich car owners would often be let off after shelling out ₹500. But now if the fine for an offence is ₹10, 000, then people would be careful. Penalising the parents of minors is also a welcome step. 

Under the new Act, the government has agreed to regulate the activities of taxi aggregators like Uber and Ola. Cab services have become as important for city-based population as is the telecommunication network. So if the telecom sector can have regulating bodies like Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the transport sector needs a regulatory body too. Cases of exorbitant surge-pricing, extra charge on rebooking after cancellation, random cancellation by drivers etc., and many such exploitative practices need to be kept in check by the government. 

The Centre can now formulate a broad guiding policy, while each state will have to figure out the nitty-gritties and the specific requirements and make the resultant policies on their own. The cab fare passenger safety would be directly under the government’s supervision. 

With the passing of this new Act, I hope that the roads become safer. Cases of road rage, rash driving are likely to go down. People will learn to drive more responsibly.

Rashmi Wishnu, 38 an engineering professor from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, met with an accident 12 years ago. The trauma still haunts her. With the new Motor Vehicle Act, she hopes some sanity to return on Indian roads. 

I have just come back to India after having spent three years in the United States. I can clearly feel the stark difference between the way things are run here and in a mature civil society. To use a desi phrase, everything on Indian roads runs ‘Ram bharose’ — your life is in God’s hands, when you negotiate Indian roads. 

I hope the New Motor Vehicles Act will ensure commuters some safety. I have met with an accident and I know traumatic it is. The accident occurred in 2007, and every time I hear a car screech on the road, my heart skips a beat. The trauma comes back to me.  

Back then I used to tie my hair in a long braid. While I was standing at a gas station, a car suddenly came from the wrong side and hit me. I fell and the car ran over my braid. I was just inches away from getting my skull crushed.  

The driver of the car did not even bother to stop. The car stopped only after it rammed into the wall of the gas station. It turned out that the driver was actually a woman, who was still learning how to drive. Her coach was absent that day so she took out her own car for practice. The car did not even have the learners sign on it.  Some passersby helped get up on my feet and I took a few days to recover. 

Years later, when I reached America, I realised the importance they give to traffic rules and regulations.  The traffic rules there are so strict that you can’t wiggle out of an offence by bribing the officer. Only honesty works.  

I am hoping with the introduction of stricter rules, Indian roads will see better days too. However, I am not happy about the fact that there are no strict rules for the safety of children. In the U. S. if a child’s safety is jeopardized, the fine is four times that of a normal offence. The Indian government should give this a thought. For, if children are taught from a young age to follow traffic rules and are kept safe on the roads, they grow up to be conscientious citizens. 

I also had a tough time trying to find good quality helmets for my two kids, so I make them wear cycle helmets, when either of them are riding with me on my scooty. Good quality helmets for both adults and kids are a rarity — there is a good chunk of the society that cannot afford a good quality helmet. 

US authorities also do not unnecessarily harass good Samaritans. However, in India it’s just the opposite case. Once a friend and her brother had gone out for an ice cream at around 11 pm. Three teenage boys were also sitting at the stairs of a nearby vacant building and enjoying their ice cream. Suddenly a window grill fell on a boy’s head, fracturing his skull. My friend and her brother drove them to the hospital, but were harassed so much by the police that they felt bad about having helped someone in need. For days the neighbours would tell them that their car smelled of blood. In the US however, you just call 911 and the paramedics and police arrive almost immediately at the scene. The support system is so phenomenal! India needs to look at providing additional infrastructure and put a sound emergency response system in place, if they want roads to be safer. Just imposing heavy penalty will backfire. 

After coming back from the US I haven’t needed to pay a single bribe because I am more aware of my rights. In the US, citizens can sue the authorities for non-maintenance of roads. But in India, people have to roam around in astronaut suits to get the attention of authorities (as happened in Bengaluru recently). If the government keeps their end of the bargain of providing good and non-congested roads, I am sure it wouldn’t take much for people to keep their end of the bargain –and abide by the rules.