City lights up, some darken spirits by bursting crackers
NEW DELHI/NOIDA/ GURUGRAM: The appeal of PM Narendra Modi to light diyas, candles, lamps or torches while putting out the electric
lights for nine-minutes at 9 pm on Sunday turned out to be a ‘cracker bursting’ event where people from Delhi-ncr went into a celebration mode.
Though the event was to support and show respect to health workers, police and forces who have been working tirelessly to contain Corona disease but the people, instead of showing respect in a peaceful manner, started celebrating by bursting crackers. For nearly 30 minutes, the sound of fire and nothing else was heard in and around the national Capital.
In South Delhi, it was around 8.48 pm when people started telling each other to switch off the light in the South Delhi area. Before 9 pm people have started bursting firecrackers and when clocks tick 9, residents in Kotla Mubarakpur, South Extension, Lajpat Nagar, etc started lighting earthen
lamps, few of them switch on their flashlight. But, people continued bursting firecrackers in the area. Even after 9 minutes, it was not stopped. In GK too firecrackers are being burst.
It started around 9 and is still occurring. People have come on their terraces and are lighting Diyas candles and bursting crackers.
In South East Delhi, too, the residents lit their houses with candles and switched off their
lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm as asked by the PM. The people were seen standing in their balconies with candles either fixed on the gallery grills or were seen holding it in their hands. People were also seen bursting Firecrackers in jamia Nagar and Jasola. The firecrackers mostly the sky rockets were seen bursting in the air as the area went into darkness. Only the street
lights were on.
Cracker bursting was also also seen in Dwarka area where hundreds of residents celebrated the event instead of showing their solidarity with the fighters of COVID-19. Residential societies located in this area witnessed huge cracker bursting. “It appeared that people were well prepared to enjoy this moment. They had to mark their respect but they did opposite to this. The country is passing through a difficult situation hence their celebration is not good at all,” said a senior citizen living in dwarka Sector-21.
Noida and Greater Noida also witnessd similar scene as majority of residents were seen bursting crackers from 20-30 minutes. The residents were not willing to relent even after imposition of Section 144 in the district. “It was a chaos like situation, People had to show solidarity with Corona warriors in a mannered way but they started enjoying it. They did not bother about the appeal of the PM,” a said security agency staff of a
Greater Noida society.
In Gurugram there was active participation of people stepping out of their homes to light diyas (earthen lamps). What was however an event of solidarity turned into a moment of celebration for most of the residents who bursted crackers in large numbers.
Despite objections being raised, the residents did not relent and bursted crackers. Even as the entire event of people switching- off their lights and spreading light through diyas and torch lights was of just ten minutes, the process of bursting crackers lasted for over an hour. There was bursting of expensive as well as normal crackers.
Though it was anticipated that people would come out and burst crackers a major let down for the residents was that from the beginning itself people came out expressed their joy through bursting crackers. “I am disappointed that there was bursting of crackers. It resulted in taking out the significance of the event. It would have been better if people kept control of their emotions and have respected the sanctity of the event,” said Nandita Mathur, a city resident.
Police personnel performing their duties in the battle against COVID-19 turned into festivity celebration in North Delhi’s Wazirabad area as residents started bursting cracking and beating drums. The locals also chanted slogans in favour of PM Modi.