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The Maharashtra government on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court that it would abide by the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) order banning firecrackers in districts where the air quality index was poor or worse in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. A division bench headed by Justice A K Menon accepted the statement and disposed of a public interest litigation filed by a Pune resident seeking a complete ban on firecrackers in the state from November 10 to November 20. The plea filed by Aniruddh Deshpande who runs a “Right to Breathe” campaign had sought directions to the State to ensure implementation of ban on sale and use of firecrackers in Maharashtra from November 10 to 20 and to restrain the State from allowing sale and use of firecrackers. The petition stated that air pollution caused by firecrackers directly affects the respiratory tract and highlighted that three states in the country had already issued ban on them.
The petition submitted that organisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the various states in the country have taken serious cognizance of the issue. However, “Maharashtra seems to be not so serious about prevention of outbreak of COVID”
The Bench of Justices AK Menon and SP Tavade recorded his statement and disposed of the petition.