The Telangana government on Thursday banned the bursting and sale of crackers ahead of the Diwali festival in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The KCR government believes that that the pollution caused by the bursting of firecrackers increases the risk of Covid-19 patients.
The government’s decision follows the Telangana High Court ordered banning the sale and purchase of firecrackers citing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hearing a petition, the court has directed the KCR government to close firecracker shops and penalise those who violate the ban. The petitioner contended that physical distancing is not possible during the celebrations. The petitioner also argued that bursting crackers of crackers would aggravate people’s respiratory problems.

The Andhra Pradesh government too restricted the bursting of crackers to two hours as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in view of the expected rise in air pollution.