Amidst Ban on Crackers, One Could Still Buy Them From Vyapar Kendra!
While high pollution levels in November have become pretty much a norm, this November situation has been far worse, with AQI levels oscillating between unhealthy to severe, through out the month (except a brief respite around Diwali). So much so that the administration had to bring in Stages III and IV of GRAP in the entire NCR.
With Diesel cars bought before 2020 being banned, while some residents juggled the car/cars within the family, others turned to Ola/Uber. There were also the unwary few, who ended up shelling out a hefty fine (Rs 20,000) to the traffic cops.
On the other hand, the construction and demolition activity continued unabated at most places; lack of monitoring from agencies led to rampant flouting of curbs.
With air quality levels bordering on severe to hazardous, the only way to improve indoor air quality was to install air purifiers. Morning walks were disrupted for most, a daring few, braved it out with masks.
Amidst all this, the ban on the sale of Diwali crackers, which has been pretty effective for the past 2 years, was surprisingly quite lax this time. One could buy crackers even in Vyapar Kendra! And as a result the number of crackers burnt this time, far exceeded the previous years.
Let’s hope December clears up the air, so we can all breathe easy and enjoy the winter sun.
