Chandigarh, November 8: The Haryana government takes U-turn on complete cracker ban in the state on Diwali 2020. The state government will provide two hours of relaxation for the sale and use of crackers on Diwali. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that traders could sell crackers during these two hours. The announcement came a day after the state government announced a complete ban on sale and use of firecrackers on Diwali. Firecracker Sellers in Haryana Miffed over Cracker Ban.

Khattar said, “Corona cases are rising along with pollution, so we have to take tough decisions regarding crackers. Yet, we are giving relaxation of 2 hours for those who want to sell crackers and burst them. Traders can sell crackers during these 2 hours: Haryana CM ML Khattar on cracker ban.” The decision to ban crackers was taken to prevent the risk of spread of COVID-19-19 due to pollution created by bursting of crackers. Diwali 2020: Haryana Bans Sale of Firecrackers to Prevent Spread of COVID-19 Due to Pollution.

Manohar Lal Khattar's Statement:

Apart from Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh imposed a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers due to rising COVID-19 cases. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday held a review meeting on the coronavirus situation and the preparedness of Delhi to deal with the COVID-19 cases and also decided to ban firecrackers, as both pollution and COVID-19 are adversely impacting city residents. However, Karnataka government, which had earlier imposed a complete ban on firecrackers, took a U-turn and allowed the sale and use of green crackers during Diwali.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 08, 2020 05:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).