GUWAHATI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sent notices to 18 states and union territories including Assam seeing the response from the states on whether the usage of firecrackers be banned from November 7 to 30.

The Tribunal earlier had issued similar notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and state governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The NGT has received several numbers of pleas seeking a ban on firecrackers to curb pollution in the festival season as the air quality of several states is reportedly unsatisfactory.

The tribunal said that the states might have to consider banning the use of firecrackers to protect the health of the vulnerable groups in 18 states with bad air quality.

The NGT has sought replies from these states on an urgent basis by November 5.

Already, Sikkim Government on Wednesday completely ban on bursting of firecrackers in the state of Sikkim until further notice.

An official order from the state government said, “Whereas the active cases of Covid-19 are on the decline in the state and significant numbers of patients have recovered, increase in air pollution on account of the bursting of firecrackers may prove hazardous for recovered as well as active Covid-19 patients.”