A SpiceJet banner pontificating about ‘cracker-free Diwali’ put up at the baggage screening counter of a particular airport has miffed the firework manufacturing company Sri Kaliswari Fireworks Private Limited which manufactures crackers under the trademark ‘Cock Brand’.

The company has shared an amusing Facebook post asking whether the airlines thinks their planes run on ‘green or white patrol’.

The fireworks company posted the picture of the SpiceJet banner which read: ‘No crackers, let’s celebrate a pollution-free Diwali’ and asked the airlines to thrash their planes to the garbage and then come to advise people. In the post, the firework company asked the airlines whether their planes run on white petrol or green petrol and whether they fly pollution-free planes?

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“How dare you to talk about our fireworks industry? Why cannot you stop your business, thrash your planes to the garbage and then come to advise people? Do you know Co2 emission caused by air travel is 285 gms per passenger-km? compared to that of rail travel is just 14 gms? Shall we place such banners before your offices? Don’t spoil other industries for your promotion.”

In 2018, just before Diwali, the Supreme Court had banned manufacturing of polluting firecrackers and ruled that only green crackers with reduced emission will be allowed to be sold in the country in order to control the pollution level. The apex court had also restricted the time that crackers could be burst on Diwali and police officials were tasked with enforcement.

Now, a year after the ban, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Saturday launched eco-friendly ‘green firecrackers’, which have been manufactured in India, noting that the step will help control pollution as well as take care of people’s sentiments.

Addressing an event by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) where the crackers prepared by its labs were displayed, the Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said: “I am very happy that on one hand, we would be using eco-friendly crackers this Diwali, and, on the other hand, our traditional festival celebrations with lights and firecrackers shall remain intact. Millions of homes which are dependent on the sale and manufacture of fireworks will also rejoice this festival, thanks to our scientists!”

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan also launched the green crackers manufactured by licensee-manufacturers. He also informed that a green logo as well as a Quick Response (QR) coding system has been developed for differentiation of green crackers from conventional crackers.

The Health Minister stated that due to the ban that had been imposed as per the orders of the Supreme Court, there was a threat of imminent closure of the entire fireworks industry. However, Science has once again come to the rescue of the common man and millions of jobs have been saved due to the interventions made by our scientists.

Praising the effort of CSIR in developing green crackers, the Minister informed that nearly 165 fireworks manufacture have been roped in and around 65 more manufacturers are in the process of coming on board.

The festival of lights, Diwali, will be celebrated in India on 27th October this year.