Lighting Up Diwali: Villages in Maharashtra crack down on firecrackers

Many villages in Maharashtra have been celebrating Diwali without firecrackers, maintaining this tradition for more than a decade. In these villages, residents avoid bursting crackers not only during Diwali but also at marriage functions and public events.

Among these villages are Borade in Dhule district, Manyachiwadi in Satara district, and Langarpeth and Padali in Sangli district, which have established bans on firecrackers. Manyachiwadi, known as the first "solar village" in Maharashtra, initiated this practice nearly 20 years ago.

Ravindra Mane, the sarpanch of Manyachiwadi, told TOI, “Our village was among the first to ban firecrackers not just during Diwali but also during other festivities and private functions nearly 20 years ago. We hold other events to mark Diwali, and we ensure that the festival is celebrated without air and noise pollution. We come together and light diyas. The awareness about side effects of firecrackers has been passed down from one generation to another, owing to which we do not have to make any further effort to achieve the goal of cracker-free Diwali.”

The Satara Zilla Parishad has been encouraging village panchayats to celebrate Diwali without firecrackers since last year. They have introduced a programme reflecting the five elements — earth, water, air, fire, and sky. Villages participating in this initiative receive points, leading to additional grants for development projects based on these points.

Jaysing Pawara from Borade in Dhule shared, “Around 15 years ago, we passed a resolution to avoid use of firecrackers. We have enough awareness that water and air should not be polluted, and nature is sacrosanct for us. We have a fine for violators. We hold competitions and games to engage youths during Diwali.”

In Langarpeth, the grampanchayat has set a fine of Rs 2,000 for violations of the firecracker ban.