Ban on crackers in Maharashtra? Minister Ramdas Kadam says Mumbai isn't as bad Delhi, will raise issue with Devendra Fadnavis

A day after the Supreme Court judgment banning sale of fire crackers till 1 November in Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra environment minister and Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam has come out in support of a pollution-free Diwali and said he will take up the matter with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Speaking to reporters, Kadam said on Tuesday that the Maharashtra chief minister had promised students that there should be no pollution. "Celebrations should be cracker-free," he said.

#BREAKING – Maharashtra Minister fights for a #CrackerFreeDiwali; says will request CM | @vinivdvc with more details pic.twitter.com/IrNYLVKk8I

— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 10, 2017

"I will talk to Fadnavis and request if we can also ban crackers in Maharashtra on lines of the Supreme Court order for Delhi," ANI quoted Kadam as saying.

The apex court had, however, not called for a ban on bursting crackers on Monday, which means those who have purchased firecrackers can still burst them during Diwali.

CNN-News18 reported that Kadam earlier said that they had no intention of banning firecrackers but would discuss with the chief minister if pollution-free Diwali could be celebrated in Maharashtra.

He compared Maharashtra’s condition to Delhi, saying that it wasn't as bad. "We have no plan to ban firecrackers in the state. We will make attempts to create awareness to celebrate an environment-friendly Diwali,” Kadam was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

In September, the Supreme Court temporarily lifted its earlier order suspending licences for sale of crackers, saying a complete ban would be an "extreme step".

The judgment prohibiting the sale of crackers did not go down well with the traders.

Strongly opposing the ban, traders said, "It's unfair and is infringement of our fundamental rights."

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has urged the government to file a review with the Supreme Court.

"Crackers are not the only source of air pollution in the country. Before putting a blanket ban, there is a need for a comprehensive policy. If a ban is at all needed on burning of crackers, it should be done from next year, so as to avoid a huge financial loss" CAIT's secretary general Pravin Khandelwal told Firstpost.