Panaji, Nov 9 (IANS): Hindu groups in Goa have urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to impose a ban on the sale of Chinese firecrackers and those with the images of Hindu deities and national heroes on the cover, ahead of the Diwali season.

In a representation, state convenor of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, an umbrella organisation for various Hindu groups in the state, its convenor Dr. Manoj Solanki also said that the ban on Chinese firecrackers should be imposed in the same spirit as the ban by the Central government on Chinese mobile apps.

"There is tension on the Indo-China border for the past many months due to China's malified policies. China has infiltrated into Indian territory and attacked our Indian soldiers. In this context, the Indian government has begun imposing financial and trade restrictions on China. India imposed a ban on China apps some months ago," Solanki said.

"The Chinese firecrackers contain a mixture of the chemicals namely potassium chloride and potassium per-chloride used in their production; but there is a ban on the use of these chemicals in India. Therefore, although these Chinese crackers are cheap, they pollute the atmosphere very badly," the letter to Sawant also said.

The organisation has also demanded a ban on the use of "pictures of national heroes and Deities printed on the covers of some firecrackers and when these crackers are burnt the torn pictures get strewn all over".

"They are trodden by the passersby, they lie in gutters, garbage, etc. Such a denigration of national heroes and deities hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus. This is also an attack on our identity. The government should stop the sale of such crackers," Solanki also said.