Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot based on the advice of expert doctors has appealed to the people of Rajasthan to celebrate Deepawali by staying in self-discipline and avoid bursting firecrackers looking at this corona pandemic.
Expert doctors advised the chief minister that smoke and pollution from the firecrackers are fatal to corona infected people and those who have recovered from this virus as well as to the general public.
Gehlot said that the Supreme Court many times has issued guidelines to control the pollution caused by the firecrackers. There is already a ban on using firecrackers in districts of the State that fall in the National Capital Region (NCR). The State Human Rights Commission has also given guidelines to prohibit use of firecrackers. The health experts in the situation of corona infection are warning to avoid continuous use of firecrackers, so it is important to celebrate the festival of lights by staying in self-discipline to protect the health of all, he added.
It is to be mentioned that doctors of the medicine department, Sawai Man Singh College had written a letter to the Principal in which they proposed to put a total ban on use of firecrackers. The doctors who wrote the letter include department head Dr S Banerjee, Dr Raman Sharma, Dr Abhishek Agarwal and Dr Sunil Mahawar. They said the respiratory system is the most affected by coronavirus and there is danger of high level of pollution due to bursting of firecrackers. The experts said that smoke from firecrackers could not only affect asthma, COPD and other patients but could also cause problems to the COVID-19 infected patients.
Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission officiating chairman Justice Mahesh Chandra Sharma agreeing with the letter written by the SMS hospital doctors has directed the state government to protect the environment from air pollution caused by due to bursting of firecrackers and take necessary action so that the patients of asthma, COPD etc do not suffer any damage along with COVID-19 infected people.
The commission issued directions to chief secretary, secretary home, secretary health and all the district collectors and superintendents of police to protect human values and the environment. The RSHRC has sought a report by October 12.
