NGT issues notification to ban firecrackers during rituals in Puri Temple

NGT notification to SJTA regarding request to ban cracker during Puri shrine rituals

Cuttack: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday issued a notice to the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on a petition seeking intervention to ban the use of firecrackers during the rituals of Lord Jagannath in Puri.
The NGT East Zone Bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member) also issued notice to the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and Member Secretary of the State Commission for pollution control.
While fixing January 9 for further hearing of the petition, the court asked the respondents to file their replies by then. Sanjay Kumar Nayak, a 46-year-old environmental activist from Aska, filed the petition.
Advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy submitted submissions on behalf of the petitioner.
In his petition, Nayak cited a fire accident during the Chandan Yatra in Puri on May 29, allegedly due to the bursting of illegal and prohibited firecrackers, which resulted in the death of 15 people and serious injury of 22 others.
The petition alleged manufacturing of banned dangerous and harmful firecrackers in the form of green crackers in the state.

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