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The Festival of Lights

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27 Oct, 17 13:03
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Diwali is right upon us and the festival of lights is perhaps the biggest one, at least in the northern India. Now besides those earthen lamps what defines the festival is crackers and sweets. Sweets are already under suspicion due to contamination in material like Mava and now crackers have been banned, in Delhi NCR, as of now.
Now, people have started to relate this move with the inability of the government to keep a check on pollution. This goes on same lines as inflation rises because of bad or failed government policies. The real culprits that contribute to the pollution have already been identified by many researches. And crackers is certainly not a major constituent at all. The crop burning, emission of smoke from vehicles, and dust emanating from raw and broken roads are main reasons why a city gets all the pollution. And still, we are not sure what steps have been taken to control these culprits.
Everyone wants a safe future and people are ready to contribute as much as they can but such forced rules let people lose heart for the festival. This creates a gap between the government and people and the connect breaks.
When you say that crackers cause pollution, you must be able to tell that all other reasons of pollution have been or are being worked on. When it was morally advertised and people were told the hazards of pollution, people came in support and decided to cut down on crackers if not shunned the idea totally. But, now, since it has been mandated, they feel bad about it and the very concern of pollution takes a back seat and all the aspects like religion, politics, and region come forward.
To make such things work, the government will need to come up with something solid, practical, and doable. And then the examples must begin with the politicians and government officials. If ministers are using a convoy to reach the place next door, they cannot expect people to leave the car and use public transport. Similarly, the drive for a pollution free city should not just come up in Diwali, it should rather be there throughout the year. And then it will appear logical and real.
Swachh Bharat mission, for example, is a regular project and thus if you hear a mandate that all the people will keep the area in front of their houses clean, they will find it good and will take part in it wholeheartedly.
Back to the ban of crackers in Delhi NCR, it's there but in other states, it's still allowed. Still, fire them with due care and consciousness. Happy Diwali.
यह खबर निम्न श्रेणियों पर भी है: Editorial
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