Target: Shri Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India
Goal: Enforce strict limits and oversight on festival firecrackers that leave animals panicked, injured, and dead while choking neighborhoods with toxic smoke.
Animal-welfare advocates have documented a recurring pattern: the indiscriminate bursting of firecrackers during festivals and public celebrations drives companion animals and urban wildlife into terror and flight, with some injured, lost, or killed in ensuing chaos. Monitoring stations and hospital reports have shown post-celebration spikes in PM2.5 and PM10 into “very poor” or “severe” air, alongside surges in respiratory complaints and burn injuries. Even so-called “green crackers” have seen widespread non-compliance, with uncertified products flooding markets and neighborhoods.
Accounts from veterinary clinics and animal groups include hundreds of distressed or wounded dogs, cats, and birds in single holiday periods, while urban trees and soil are said to suffer chemical residues and soot deposition. Separate reports describe children and bystanders injured by hazardous, carbide-based explosive devices and illegal noise-level fireworks. These impacts convert nights of celebration into nights of fear for vulnerable citizens, animals, and ecosystems.
Safeguarding the spirit of celebration means curbing the conduct that causes acute harm. A rights-respecting approach can preserve cultural joy while preventing cruelty. Sign below to demand authorities enforce certified products only, restrict hours, bar the most hazardous devices, and ensure coordinated protections for animals and public spaces. National guidance, monitoring, and accountability are essential to reverse an entrenched pattern of neglect. Immediate NHRC intervention is needed to urge evidence-based rules, transparent enforcement, and humane, health-first celebrations.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chairperson Ramasubramanian,
We respectfully urge urgent action to address the environmental, health, and animal-welfare harms tied to festival firecrackers. Air monitors and hospitals have recorded sharp spikes in PM2.5 and PM10 and in injury cases after celebration nights, while animal-care groups and veterinarians describe companion animals and wildlife panicked, injured, or killed amid detonations and smoke. Separate accounts also point to widespread non-compliance with “green cracker” requirements and the availability of uncertified, excessively loud, or hazardous devices.
To prevent a repeat of these harms, we request that the NHRC recommend to state and local authorities: a comprehensive national study on firecracker impacts; clear advisories to regulate celebrations; strict enforcement allowing only BIS-certified “green” products; firm limits on bursting hours; and targeted bans on hazardous carbide-based devices. We also ask for coordinated animal-protection measures—temporary quiet zones, rapid-response animal help lines, and public campaigns—plus mandatory reporting so compliance and outcomes can be transparently tracked.
Celebrations can be joyous without cruelty or public-health damage. By urging evidence-based rules, effective enforcement, and humane alternatives, the NHRC can help ensure festivities honor dignity, life, and compassion—for people, animals, and the shared environment.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Rathnahar R
