West Bengal pollution body banks on kids for cracker awareness

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) is making schools students “ambassadors of change” to spread awareness about the recent Supreme Court order against excessive bursting of firecrackers.
WBPCB chairman Kalyan Rudra said on Thursday: “People need to know about the October 23 verdict, allowing only an 8pm to 10pm window for bursting of crackers, which is a big relief for all of us. The top court imposed a complete ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi NCR last year. For Bengal and the rest of the country, this is the first time the festival of lights would be celebrated under strict restrictions. The best messenger for the novel decision are schoolchildren.


But most schools are closing for the festivities from Tuesday. Wasting no time, WBPCB on Thursday approached some of the city schools asking them to make the firecracker-related announcement on Friday and Monday. The message is: “Burst crackers only from 8pm to 10pm, or don’t burst at all.”

“We have always felt that youngsters will play a very important role in creating awareness. They will themselves control the urge of bursting firecrackers wildly and understand that firecrackers raise air and noise pollution to alarming levels,” said Rudra.

The kids will be told that they are more vulnerable to air pollution than adults since they breathe twice as fast as adults, taking in more air and pollutants during Diwali and Kali Puja. Thus, their growth and immune system are all the more affected, said Rupkatha Sarkar, principal, La Martiniere School for Girls, hailing the Supreme Court order. “We want our students to be more environmentally and socially conscious,” said Sarkar.

Meena Kak, principal, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, felt the best way to protect the environment is to ask students to restrain their urge to celebrate the occasion through indiscriminate bursting of firecrackers. The school has issued “say no to crackers” car-stickers and badges. “The ban was long overdue. Our school has been campaigning for a pollution-free Kali Puja and Diwali for many years now,” said Kak. Richard Gasper, principal of St Augustine’s Day School, got cracking on Thursday itself, sending bulk SMSes to parents and posting messages on the school website, seeking his students to refrain from bursting crackers save the two-hour window during Kali Puja and Diwali. The message read: “As per the Supreme Court’s new ruling regarding the sound pollution, we request you to please adhere to the same. Wish you a happy and safe Diwali.”

“Our SMS blast system connects parents of around 3,500 students. We will also make the needful announcements during assembly on Friday and Monday,” he said.