The Delhi Police will also book such violators and register First Information Report against them.

 

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai made the announcement here earlier in the day, mentioning "if anyone violates the ban on the firecrackers then the violator will be penalised under the Air act".

 

Violation of the act can attract a penalty of upto Rs one lakh and a jail term of upto six years.

 

The Delhi Minister also said that the Delhi Police and District Magistrates will work together to enforce the ban on firecrackers, if a violation happens then the Delhi police will register FIR against violators under the Air Act.

 

The announcement comes ahead of Diwali on November 14, the occasion when people burst firecrackers to celebrate the Hindu festival.

 

To combat dust pollution, Rai said around 150 tankers are sprinkling water at the Delhi roads and the numbers will be increased soon.

 

"The pollution in Delhi is increasing every day and looking into the situation, I have directed the PWD (Public Works Department) officials to sprinkle water at every important road," Rai said.

 

"I have directed the PWD to deploy water tankers at the key roads of Delhi from which the sprinkling can be done and by this, the immediate relief from the dust pollution can be achieved. Till now nearly 150 water tankers are working across Delhi."

 

In Delhi, the Minister said, the air is getting toxic because of the "stubble burning in the neighbouring state".

 

"The winter is also here and I think that till Diwali the situation will be like this and might deteriorate."

 

Referring that the Delhi government is taking every possible step to combat air pollution by curbing the sources of pollution inside Delhi, Rai said he met the officials of the environment department and the revenue department on Monday along with the representatives of the Delhi Police, the district magistrates and divisional commissioners.

 

"In this meeting, we have issued a guideline regarding the ban on the firecrackers to the Delhi police and the Delhi police have ensured that the guidelines will be implemented. The Delhi police will file FIR against the violators under the Air Act," Rai said.

 

The Minister later requested Delhiites to follow the ban on the firecrackers, saying "though I have directed the district administration, this is a matter of our own concern".

 

"Today the NGT has also directed that no firecrackers will be allowed in Delhi and the adjacent area," said.

 

Earlier the Delhi government allowed green crackers but looking into the situation of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases and the pollution. the Delhi government last week announced ban on any kind of firecrackers in Delhi.