<p>Although the bursting of crackers may have reduced a little this year, the trash piled up on roadsides only indicates that the festival revelry is not only adding to the noise pollution but also continues to be an eyesore. <br /><br />Piles of shredded paper can be seen lying on the roads in RMV II Stage, Mathikere, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Boopasandra, Kanakapura Road, R T Nagar, Sanjay Nagar, Kalyan Nagar and parts of Yelahanka.<br /><br />This waste is not only toxic, but also dangerous as it could include unexploded crackers. <br />Manish Gupta, an employee of Mphasis and a resident of Kaggadasapura in C V Raman Nagar, says that people in his locality start bursting crackers as early as 4 am and go on till late at night.<br /><br />“There is lot of cracker waste strewn on the roads and that has not been cleaned yet. The situation gets worse when it rains because rainwater mixes with the cracker residue and this <br />pollutes and contaminates the ground water,” says Manish.</p>.<p>He also adds that the dogs in his neighbourhood had a tough time trying to escape the sound of the crackers. “People are insensitive when it comes to animals and don’t care about their well-being,” he adds.<br /><br />Some people like Prateek Baliga, an employee of Atos, have refrained from bursting crackers. <br />He also points out that the bigger apartment complexes have demarcated spaces where people can burst crackers. <br /><br />“I live in an apartment where people voluntarily don’t burst crackers. This initiative comes from within and people are conscious of not polluting the atmosphere,” says Prateek. <br />Not all youngsters are obsessed with bursting crackers. <br /><br />Some feel the eco-friendly way of celebrating festivals must become a rule rather than an exception. Aafreen Rahman, a youngster, feels that the eco-friendly way of celebrating festivals is yet to catch up with people.<br /><br />“The cracker ban that has been imposed in Delhi should have been in our city as well. People continue to burst crackers without sparing a thought to the damage it will leave on the environment. There is a lot of smoke and noise this year,” Aafreen says. She also feels that people should resort to eco-friendly ways of celebrating ‘Deepavali’.<br /><br />“If we start now we can ensure to leave a clean environment for posterity,” she adds. People say that those who burst these crackers don’t seem to care for the mess they leave behind. <br />Satish Mohapatra, an employee with Tech Mahindra, says “Ever since people have started bursting crackers, I have found it difficult to breathe because of the smoke and toxic <br />smell. The streets are dirty and the atmosphere is contaminated because of the bursting of crackers and burning of cracker waste thereafter.”<br /></p>
<p>Although the bursting of crackers may have reduced a little this year, the trash piled up on roadsides only indicates that the festival revelry is not only adding to the noise pollution but also continues to be an eyesore. <br /><br />Piles of shredded paper can be seen lying on the roads in RMV II Stage, Mathikere, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Boopasandra, Kanakapura Road, R T Nagar, Sanjay Nagar, Kalyan Nagar and parts of Yelahanka.<br /><br />This waste is not only toxic, but also dangerous as it could include unexploded crackers. <br />Manish Gupta, an employee of Mphasis and a resident of Kaggadasapura in C V Raman Nagar, says that people in his locality start bursting crackers as early as 4 am and go on till late at night.<br /><br />“There is lot of cracker waste strewn on the roads and that has not been cleaned yet. The situation gets worse when it rains because rainwater mixes with the cracker residue and this <br />pollutes and contaminates the ground water,” says Manish.</p>.<p>He also adds that the dogs in his neighbourhood had a tough time trying to escape the sound of the crackers. “People are insensitive when it comes to animals and don’t care about their well-being,” he adds.<br /><br />Some people like Prateek Baliga, an employee of Atos, have refrained from bursting crackers. <br />He also points out that the bigger apartment complexes have demarcated spaces where people can burst crackers. <br /><br />“I live in an apartment where people voluntarily don’t burst crackers. This initiative comes from within and people are conscious of not polluting the atmosphere,” says Prateek. <br />Not all youngsters are obsessed with bursting crackers. <br /><br />Some feel the eco-friendly way of celebrating festivals must become a rule rather than an exception. Aafreen Rahman, a youngster, feels that the eco-friendly way of celebrating festivals is yet to catch up with people.<br /><br />“The cracker ban that has been imposed in Delhi should have been in our city as well. People continue to burst crackers without sparing a thought to the damage it will leave on the environment. There is a lot of smoke and noise this year,” Aafreen says. She also feels that people should resort to eco-friendly ways of celebrating ‘Deepavali’.<br /><br />“If we start now we can ensure to leave a clean environment for posterity,” she adds. People say that those who burst these crackers don’t seem to care for the mess they leave behind. <br />Satish Mohapatra, an employee with Tech Mahindra, says “Ever since people have started bursting crackers, I have found it difficult to breathe because of the smoke and toxic <br />smell. The streets are dirty and the atmosphere is contaminated because of the bursting of crackers and burning of cracker waste thereafter.”<br /></p>