NGT: Celebrations can't be at the cost of health

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) at Bhopal recently called for strict compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court with respect to the regulation and restrictions on the use of firecrackers. "Celebration cannot be at the cost of the other’s health. Under the guise of celebration, nobody can be permitted to infringe the right to health of others, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and nobody can be permitted to play with the life of the others, more particularly the senior citizens and the children," the NGT said. In the same order, the tribunal also clarified that there is no "total ban" on the use of firecrackers and only those firecrackers found injurious to the health of citizens, particularly children and the elderly have been banned.