Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the sale of eco-friendly green crackers alone should be allowed in the state this Deepavali.

Also, there should be no harm, injuries or deaths due to fire crackers in the state, he underlined during a meeting with the deputy commissioners of all the districts.

“Deepavali is approaching. The Supreme Court has given guidelines on what kind of crackers should be burst. Only green crackers should be sold and they should be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm,” Siddaramaiah briefed reporters after the meeting.

The deputy commissioners have been directed to carry out inspections at cracker shops.

“The district officials should register cases against shopkeepers who sell crackers other than green ones, if they do not follow safety regulations, do not sell them at the designation place and do not have proper warehouses to store them,” the Chief Minister explained.

Emphasising on need to prevent any damage to the environment, he said, “I have also informed the DCs that there should not be any harm, injuries or deaths due to crackers in their districts.”

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