Kejriwal Urges Delhiites to Celebrate Diwali with Diyas, Not Firecrackers

New Delhi, October 30, 2024: Amid rising pollution in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged residents to celebrate Diwali by lighting diyas rather than bursting firecrackers. Addressing the public during a press conference, Kejriwal emphasized that Diwali is a “festival of lights, not fireworks,” encouraging residents to consider the impact of pollution on children’s health.

“Even the Supreme Court and High Court say that, in view of the pollution, we should not burst crackers; we should light diyas. This is the festival of lights and not fireworks,” Kejriwal stated, highlighting that any pollution created during Diwali will directly affect the health of future generations. “Everyone’s life is important,” he added, reinforcing the secular, community-wide importance of reducing air pollution.

This appeal comes amidst deteriorating air quality in Delhi. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) in several areas remains in the ‘very poor’ category, with Anand Vihar recording 317 and Aya Nagar at 312 early on Tuesday. A thin smog covered the city as air quality levels declined further, a trend attributed partly to the seasonal increase in stubble burning in neighboring Punjab.

In response, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has taken further action, writing to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to enforce the city’s firecracker ban strictly. The ban, active from October 14 until January 1, prohibits the production, storage, and sale of firecrackers, aiming to curb pollution. Minister Rai’s letter noted that firecrackers are still being sold across Delhi’s markets, with supplies reportedly coming from neighboring states Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. “It implies that Delhi Police as law enforcement agencies have not taken the directions to ban firecrackers seriously,” he expressed in the letter.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders attributed the recent pollution surge to stubble burning in Punjab, noting that 108 cases had been recorded earlier in the week. BJP members staged a protest against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at Kapurthala House in Delhi, highlighting concerns over pollution contributions from stubble burning and seeking an audience with the Punjab government.

With pollution levels continuing to spike in the capital, Kejriwal’s call to celebrate Diwali with diyas and avoid fireworks is part of a broader effort to address the city’s annual air quality challenges, which worsen significantly during the winter festival season.