While several locals state that they have decided to avoid bursting crackers this Diwali considering the damage it might do to Covid-19 positive patients and the environment in the city, many opined that there are only a handful of people who would actually refrain from fireworks on the festival this year.
According to Sahastradhara Road resident Samar Prasad, he enjoys bursting crackers with his kids every year but he will refrain from bursting the fireworks this Diwali. “I buy lots of crackers every year for my kids but I will not buy them any crackers this Diwali. My father was tested positive for Covid two months back and I saw how hard it was for him to breathe in that period. The situation is quite critical everywhere due to this contagious disease so rather than making the condition of patients and old people worse, we should celebrate this festival with simple celebration with our families,” said Prasad.
Moreover, many people also cited the environmental issues to be the reason due to which they decided against fireworks this year in their homes. “I have directed my children not to buy any crackers this Diwali. We do not want air pollution in Dehradun like Delhi where people cannot breathe in fresh air anymore. I see people making comments here that Delhi has several factories and vehicles which are the main cause of air pollution so we should not bother about it here. That is wrong. Delhi’s air pollution did not reach this level overnight. It is a long term process and if we will not restrict our activities now, we will be facing the same issue in the next few years,” said a 69 years old Jakhan resident, Ranjit Shah. He added that rather than indulging in momentary pleasures like bursting crackers and enjoying fireworks, parents should teach their children about the importance of a safe and clean environment and make them aware about the consequences of activities that raise air pollution level. There are some families too who have decided not to buy crackers due to the financial crisis.
However, many also opined that there are very few people who would genuinely avoid bursting crackers this Diwali. According to a Dehradun based activist Lokesh Ohri, it is doubtful that a large number of people who mostly enjoy fireworks during Diwali will avoid bursting crackers this year. However, he opined that the State government can play a very crucial role in convincing people to restrict fireworks. He said that rather than encouraging people to avoid Chinese crackers this Diwali, the authorities should ask people to avoid bursting crackers at all citing authentic reasons like its effect on Covid patients and the environment while spreading awareness among locals. It would be wrong to say that people are completely unaware of the situation here but the efforts by the government have the chance of greater impact among the residents, stated Ohri.
Friday, 06 November 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
