Kolkata, Oct 29 (PTI) The Defence ministry has given its nod to host a 'Bazi Bazar' at Shahid Minar ground, which is a part of the Maidan, from October 31 to November 15 with a set of conditions.

Environmentalists, however, expressed concern that though sale of only green fireworks have been allowed, polluting crackers will also be illegally sold.

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A copy of the MoD circular, made available to PTI on Sunday, asked the organisers of the fair, Burrabazar Fireworks Dealers Association, to strictly comply with the previous court orders and see "no environmental and other degradations of the land" take place. The army is the custodian of the sprawling Kolkata Maidan, also known as Kolkata's lungs.

The letter, issued on October 27, also made it mandatory for the license holders to "obtain permission from competent authorities of pollution control board, police, administration and all other agencies."

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General secretary of green watchdog NGO Sabuj Mancha Naba Dutta said, "The permission to hold the fair should be taken back as the high court had in past observed that all kinds of fairs should be withdrawn from the Maidan on environmental grounds."

Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh said the "Bazi Bazar cannot guarantee only green fireworks adhering to central agencies National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation) will solely be sold and will not trigger air and sound pollution."

Babla Das, chairman of Sara Bangla Atas Baji Unnayan Samity (All Bengal Fireworks Makers and Sellers Organisation), said the fair, which is part of several fireworks fairs being held across the state in the run up to Kali Puja/Diwali festival with active support of the organisation, will only sell green fireworks.

An official of WBPCB said the state pollution watchdog will monitor the situation and screen the products.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)