The city council of Canada’s Mississauga decided not to ban firecrackers ahead of the festival of Diwali, a decision welcomed by the members of the city’s Hindu community, a report has said.
The authorities have decided to introduce a revised bylaw , which would bring stricter rules on bursting firecrackers in order to reduce noise, risk of injuries and property damage, local news outlet Mississauga.com reported.
The decision to not ban firecrackers was taken earlier this week on Wednesday, October 15, during a general committee meeting. Several members of the Hindu community, who were reportedly present during the meeting, were happy with the decision as the festival of Diwali is just round the corner and exchanged hugs as they rejoiced.
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What does the new restrictions
According to the new bylaw, it is permissible to burst firecrackers on five holidays, however, with new restrictions, according to the report. These five holidays are — Lunar New Year, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Diwali and New Year’s Eve.
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The fresh restrictions call for shorter permissible hours for bursting crackers, from 6 pm to 10 pm, on all of the holidays except the New Year’s eve, when people are allowed to set off firecrackers during midnight from 11 pm to 1 am. Roman candles, the kind of firecrackers that discharge at intervals balls or stars of fire (according to Merriam-Webster), have been banned and the sales window would be tightened under the new stricter rules. Licensed vendors will need to log inventory and sales data and the fireworks will not be sold on the day of each holiday in order to prevent last-minute purchases.
According to the report, it was councillor Dipika Damerla who pushed for the window of setting off crackers to extend and start from 6 pm instead of 8 pm. She was also against the ban on purchasing fireworks on the day of holiday, however, several other councillors supported that restriction.
Reacting to the council’s decision, general secretary of the Canadian National Council of Hindus (CNCH), Ruchi Wali, said that their organisation will help educate the community about the new rules. “That will involve visiting Hindu community clubs and centres, engaging members, and making sure everyone understands what’s changed,” Mississauga News quoted her as saying.
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