The data “speaks” for itself. This year, from January to August, police authorities seized 222,343 pyrotechnics, such as firecrackers, flares, flares, etc. During the Easter holidays, 155 people were handcuffed for illegally throwing fireworks.
In the face of this dangerous activity, which causes injuries, mutilations and even deaths to people, as well as serious problems for animals and the environment, more and more municipalities in the country are abolishing old-style fireworks and resorting to milder solutions, such as use of the silent ones. They are just as spectacular, however the negative effects are minimized.
Andreas Kondylis
The Municipal Authority of Alimos, in order to put a stop to the uncontrolled noise pollution on the beach front, imposed strict terms and conditions about two years ago both on the hours of music (then until 11 at night) and on the use of sparklers. Regarding the last part, the decision, according to the mayor of Alimos, Andreas Kondylis, was canceled by the Decentralized Administration, on the grounds that municipalities cannot set additional conditions for the use of sparklers when there is another competent authority to issue permits.
“Here, therefore, it is the Police that authorizes and controls. If the flares are used in a coastal zone, at sea or in a port, then the Coast Guard is responsible. We have the phenomenon of flares being thrown mainly from seaside shops, but not only, and the Police are practically unable to control it, because they cannot know who is throwing flares and where,” he says to “ET.” Mr. Kondylis.
What’s happening today? “To a certain extent, the phenomenon has decreased,” says the mayor of Alimos. And he explains: “Because, as a municipality, we said that if we realize that a shop is throwing sparklers, then we will treat it as noise pollution and therefore the licensing process for music will be difficult. As you know, the music license is granted by the municipalities and normally by law shops are allowed to play loud music until 11pm. The municipality can give an extension until 3 in the morning. In this way we put pressure on the businessmen, who have complied. Sometimes they throw sparklers, we have said that it is tolerable until ten or eleven at night in the summer, when in any case people are not asleep yet. However, as a municipality, we quietly throw flares only at the change of time and at Easter, and we save half the noise…”.
Grigoris Constantellos
The Municipality of Vari – Voula – Vouliagmeni had decided that fireworks in the area should only be set off by new, modern and quiet sparklers, which may cost twice as much, but are not of the explosive type.
However, the Association of Greek Fireworks Burners, Traders, Importers and Producers reacted with an appeal against the decision to the Council of State, which will be heard in December.
“In our area, sparklers are dropped from the sea with a special permit from the Coast Guard. Based on the current legislation, throwing flares is only valid in case of national or religious holidays and not at weddings, baptisms, etc. That at least for us here means that wherever they fell in the summer, they fell illegally. Who is responsible for the audit? The Coast Guard”, says the mayor of Vari – Voula – Vouliagmeni, Grigoris Konstandellos.
According to him, the problem lies in the fact that “a web of multi-competence, competence and non-competence has been created, which does not allow any Central or General Government body to be able to exercise real control. We’ve gotten to the point where summer flares go off on orange and red alert days. Of course, the situation is better than other years, however, if there is no arrest of someone illegally shooting flares, to send a strong message, the phenomenon is not going to stop.”
BLOODY CUSTOM
The illegal throwing of fireworks and flares from squares, rooftops, balconies and other locations is a bloody custom, which, apart from Easter and Christmas, is common at weddings, baptisms, name days, birthdays and anniversaries, even during the fire season, such as showed the incident in Hydra with the fire caused by flares thrown from a tourist boat.
8 MONTH 2024
MANUFACTURED FIREWORKS BY EL.AS.
GUNS: 55,821
PHOTOGRAPHS: 513
BENGALI: 6,730
OTHER FIREWORKS: 160,279
TOTAL: 223,343
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#Municipalities #counterattack #sparklers
