Karnataka Govt Explains What Are Green Crackers After High Court Seeks Clarification

Karnataka was one of the few states in the country to not ban the use of firecrackers during Deepavali celebrations. But it came with a rider that citizens could only burst green crackers.

Even as state governments across the country were announcing their stand on the bursting of crackers, with many of them ordering a total ban citing rise in pollution, Karnataka Chief minister B S Yediyurappa too had ordered a ban on fireworks in the state on 6 November.

But public criticism and displeasure over the same had the CMO make another announcement by end of day, saying the state had “received many suggestions after (we) proposed a ban on firecrackers. The CM requested the people of the state to burst only green crackers and celebrate the festival in a simple way, ‘considering the safety of their children and themselves’.

But there were very few who knew what these ‘green crackers‘ were, and this included the Minister for Health S Sudhakar who in a press meet responded saying he had no clarity either and that he would get back after enquiring with the concerned authorities.

The Karnataka High Court too issued an order asking the state government to bring in more clarity and define ‘green crackers’. The state then issued an order revising its earlier one pertaining to the celebration of Deepavali festivities where it explained it as follows:

According to the order, which cited the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change, “green crackers do not contain harmful chemicals, thereby reducing air pollution due to firecrackers considerably. These crackers are less harmful in comparison to conventional crackers”.

Green crackers are manufactured as per the formulation developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Environmental and Engineering Research Institute(NEERI) lab. The formulation has been approved by the Petroelum and Explosives Safety Organisation which functions under the Department of Promotion Of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of commerce, said the order.

How to identify green crackers?

The green crackers are available as flower pots, maroons and sparklers and can be identified through the distinct green logo of CSIR-NEERI and PESO as well as a Quick Response(QR) coding system, that one can find on the packing.

The QR code has been incorporated in order to check the manufacture and sale of counterfeit products, said the order.