This year, Mumbaikars celebrated a quieter Diwali
In Many Areas The 10 pm Deadline For Bursting Crackers Was Enforced Strictly ………Viju B I TNN
Mumbai: Recession has hit businesses hard this Diwali, but there is at least one good outcome. Mumbaikars managed to breathe cleaner air and noise pollution too came down substantially during the last one week, as compared to last year.
If last year many suburbs looked like a war zone with high-decibel bombs and crackers going all around, it was a quieter Diwali this year. Even in the western and central suburbs where crackers used to be burst till early morning hours in violation of all norms, there were fewer noisy celebrations this time.
For residents like Ashok Shah, who runs a smallscale textile shop in Malad, it was a big let-down. Last year, he had purchased crackers worth Rs 5,000 for his two kids. But this year he reduced the budget for crackers to Rs 600. Shah says there are two reasons: prices of crackers have gone up and pre-Diwali sales were dull. Last year, we used to go out and buy crackers every day. This year in my locality, there were only a few people who had lavish celebrations, Shah said.
In many areas of south Mumbai, the 10 pm deadline for bursting crackers was also enforced strictly. This was the first time that many citizens here paid heed to the Supreme Court order, said Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation.
She said there were comparatively less crackers, even on sea-facing promenades such as Marine Drive and Worli seaface. This indicates that the shift towards communitystyle celebration that was noticed last year has become more marked. Also, there were many bystanders who did not burst crackers but enjoyed the spectacle from a distance. This trend, if encouraged by the government, could lead to state-sponsored cracker displays during Diwali and a ban on individual bursting of crackers, barring a few noiseless varieties such as sparklers, chakris and fountains, Abdulali said.
NOT A NOISY AFFAIR: Even in western and central suburbs, where crackers used to be burst till wee hours, there were fewer noisy celebrations this time
