After Delhi, Odisha and Rajasthan, crackers have been banned this Diwali in Haryana in view of the pandemic. On Saturday, Haryana CM ML Khattar said that a ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers was supposed to be imposed only in the National Capital Region and Panchkula areas. But now, a blanket ban in the State has been mooted. Karnataka has withdrawn the ban order.

The ban by state governments just days before the festival is causing much distress in businessmen. As per a vendor of green crackers in Delhi, the sudden ban is causing losses to the tune of Rs 15-20 lakh for many vendors. "Earlier the government said that green crackers can be sold and gave us licence. We had already purchased the stock,” a shocked vendor told ANI.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch has urged the governments not to ban firecrackers, saying that crackers manufactured in India are much less polluting than the ones made in China.

Manufactures in Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi are at a loss. "Ban on crackers announced 1-2 weeks before Diwali means stocks of crackers already sent to these States from Sivakasi can't be sold. This will lead to huge losses for the owners. Lakhs of workers and their families will be pushed further into poverty," said social media influencer Sumanth Raman. TN CM EPS has already requested other States to remove the ban on crackers.

There is also the element of imposing restrictions on the religious practices of Hindus. Priti Gandhi of BJP Mahila Morcha tweeted, "The abrupt cracker ban in certain states is not just an attack on Hindu sentiments but is also causing extensive economic distress to the green cracker industry."