"Previous govt seemed opposed to faith and celebrations": Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra on Diwali , Chhath Puja

New Delhi [India], October 19 (ANI): Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday slammed the previous Aam Aadmi Party government for allegedly "banning many things" during Diwali and Chhath Puja.
The BJP leader said that they decided to celebrate Diwali here at the construction site "with our working sisters and brothers and their families"
"We all decided that Diwali should be celebrated with our labourer brothers and sisters. Many working brothers and sisters have already gone to their villages for Diwali, and many are still in Delhi... Since this morning, we have been celebrating Diwali here at the construction site with our working sisters and brothers and their families, including small children. And this type of event will be organised repeatedly on a large scale by the Labour Ministry. This is the first such event in the history of the Labour Ministry...," Mishra told ANI.
"For so many years, many things were banned in Delhi. Firecrackers were banned on Diwali. During Chhath Puja, there was a ban on performing Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna River," Mishra alleged.
He also mentioned the earlier Supreme Court ruling allowing the sale and bursting of green crackers on the festival and said that the people of Delhi will celebrate Diwali woth "discipline"
"The previous government seemed opposed to faith and celebrations, and its inclination was visible only in one direction. But now the government has changed. We went to court. The court granted permission, and this time, the court has allowed green crackers. Delhiites will burst green crackers with discipline this time. Just as the entire country and the entire world celebrate Diwali, the people of Delhi have also been given the right to celebrate Diwali..."
The Supreme Court on Wednesday relaxed the firecracker restrictions in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) ahead of Diwali, allowing the sale and bursting of green firecrackers from October 18 to October 21.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandra allowed the bursting of green firecrackers, with timings limited to 6-7 am and 8-10 pm. The apex court stated that a "balanced approach" is necessary between celebrating festivities and protecting the environment.
"We have to take a balanced approach, permitting bursting of green firecrackers in moderation while not compromising with the environment," said the bench.
It also ordered that the Police authority constitute a patrolling team to ensure that only permitted products with QR codes are sold.
The use of firecrackers, not approved by NEERI as approved green crackers, shall not be permitted, it said. (ANI)