Campbell Bay, Nov 9 2020
The residents of Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar are under an unannounced ban on firecrackers since almost the last five years.
Firecrackers are not available for sale in Great Nicobar since several years during the Diwali time, because of various different reasons. The shopkeepers allege that the reason for non-availability of the fire crackers in market during Diwali is late issuance of license most of the times.
The shopkeepers allege that they receive their license for storage and for selling the firecrackers very close to Diwali time and they are not able to procure the firecrackers and transport them to Campbell Bay in time, causing them heavy losses.
Many shopkeepers and traders who used to make great profits during Diwali ten years back have stopped selling firecrackers, because of suffering heavy losses in the recent past.
Nicobar Times spoke to one of the shopkeepers from Campbell Bay and he informed us that there are no firecrackers in the market now but he is unaware of what went wrong this year, since he had not applied for a license because of suffering losses in the previous years.
The availability of ships with license to transport firecrackers is another issue because of which the children living in the southernmost territory of India have never experienced how Diwali is truly celebrated.
The National Green Tribunal has taken a strong stand by ordering blanket ban on firecrackers for NCT region and the cities where air quality is poor and beyond. It has further allowed the sale and use of Green Fire Crackers in cities with moderate or better air quality. There are no issues with regards to the air quality in Great Nicobar and the residents enjoy excellent air quality throughout the year.
It is during festivities like Diwali that people in these remote Islands have a little fun. Availability of fire crackers in the markets should be ensured in places like Great Nicobar, where there are no avenues for entertainment and socialising.
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