Save child labour working in firecracker factories, let’s pledge to give up firecrackers this Diwali

Deepawali is just a at our doorstep. It’s falling on 18th October and we’ll be experiencing once again, as usual, the unbearing noise and heavy environmental polution due to excessive burning of crackers and subsequent occurance of several tragedies, of precious lives being lost, of children, young and old. Why can’t after all, we as the responsible citizens of the country take a collective pledge to give up crackers, for always, and instead confine ourselves to just LAKSHMI PUJA and reverence to other Gods than involving ourselves irresponsibly in vulger ostentations like wasting hundreds of thousands of rupees in buying expensive fire crackers and then risking our and others’ lives by creating uncontrollable environmental pollution and making our children and ourselves’ vulnerable to various deseases related to respiratory problems, lungs disfunction, dreaded asthma and various cardilogical complications.

Delhi being the capital city of India with a massive population of 1crore fifty lakhs and over 80 lakh vehicles, is already reeling under massive pollution related complications of physical health, respiratory disorders, silicosis disorders due to increasing chemicalised dust inhale and vehicular pollution and pollution of contaminated drinking water leading to the creation and spread of various contagious intestine related infected deseases and epidemics.

Delhi tops the chart in pollution related deaths with tremendous increase recorded in the mortality statistics which is utterly surprising and shocking. The succesive governments, honourable courts and several responsible social welfare organisations have been issuing warnings and appeals time and again to give up fire crackers during DEEPAWALI but unfortunately of no awail.

What is more shocking and anguishing is the fact that  the literate, educated and the middle class sections of the society become intentionally uncaring and careless during the Deepawali festivals and in order to influence their neighbours or friends circle by their monetary prestige and affluence waste hundreds of crores nationally in just few hours thus not only creating hell of the noise and environmental pollution but also negatively contribute in creating havoc in the society by killing hundreds of patients of cardiovascular, asthematic and lungs related deseases in various parts of the country.

The hundreds of thousands of tons of polluted gases and carbon dioxide goes into the environment and gets stuck in the Ozone layer thus becoming a permanent source of infecting our lungs n making people suffer of various uncurable deseases like the cancer of the lungs. In addition to these harmful dreaded effects during Deepawali festivals hundreds of cases of deaths are also reported in various parts of the country when these firecrackers explode during the process of their production, in shops, cracker stores and while carrying them individually, in groups or in vehicles like heavy trucks etc.

Hundreds of those who luckily save themselves become disabled for the entire life by losing their eyes, limbs or arms. Just a day before on 8th of October two youths between 20 and 22 years died at Agra on the mobile scooter while carrying firecrackers for sale.

The impact of the explosion was so extensive that the parts of the bodies of these most unfortunate youths were torn into pieces not to be found later on and also literally injuring several other passers by with heavy burn injuries. Moreover, today thousands of children below 18 years are working in the fireworks industries killing themselves with cancerous ailments due to abject poverty. Giving up firecrackers during Deepawali will compel them to adopt some other less dangerous and healthily harmless profession. THEREFORE FRIENDS, LET’S HONESTLY PLEDGE TO GIVE UP FIRECRACKERS COMPLETELY, THIS DEEPAWALI and save hundreds of thousands of lives. AMEN

Meanwhile we thank the honourable Supreme Court of India to have issued a perfect and an outstanding pro people verdict to ban firecrackers during the Deepawali fesival in Delhi. Its indeed an extremely vice decision that will safeguard and save millions of lives that could have otherwise fallen prey to the ill and higly disastrous effects of dreaded pollution created by the firecrackers during this hindu festival. Its a classic example of a pro people decision which will send a tough message across the country compelling people and authorites to follow suit in the near future. Hats off to our wisdom oriented intellectual and intelligent pro people judiciary.

SUNIL NEGI