Dehradun Sees Increase in Fireworks Licenses Amid Air Pollution Concerns | Dehradun News

DEHRADUN: Dehradun District Administration has issued 1,068. fireworks licenses by October 29 for the city region this year, compared to 996 issued last year and 890 in 2022 ahead of the festive season. This steady increase in numbers has raised concerns among environmentalists.
“While Dehradun has a stable AQI throughout the year, we are seeing a multi-day spike during this period, with cities grappling with serious pollution problems for the last few years. Pollution levels are worsening here too. The air we breathe is becoming harmful, especially for the elderly, young children it makes them sick, not to mention the impact of loud crackers on pets and animals. Diwali celebrationsbut most of us have made them integral, refusing to back down despite all the evidence of harm,” said city-based eco-activist Ashish Garg.
He said the public should understand the damage fireworks cause to our ecology and the government should strengthen regulations. “There are already many guidelines on this issue, including Supreme Court directives. The administration needs to strengthen enforcement and make norms more stringent. These numbers need to be strictly regulated. They should definitely not increase,” he said.
Residents allege that not only is there no inspection of green crackers in Dehradun, but timing rules are also being blatantly violated and there is absolutely no pressure being put on the culprits.
“Crackers are bursting days before Diwali and at all hours of the night. They are sold openly on the roadsides without any license checks. Public awareness is completely lacking,” said Reenu Paul, another environmentalist.
Meanwhile, senior officials in the district administration claimed that unless there was an institutional policy or legislation in place or a court directive limiting the number of licenses issued, there could be no limit on numbers.
District Magistrate Savin Bansal said, “However, we are keeping a close eye on retail sales and action will be taken against anyone found selling fireworks without a licence. All applicable rules will be strictly enforced.”
The administration also carries out inspections to check the licenses of bulk sellers. Dehradun currently has only 13 such licensed vendors.