Chandigarh,  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said only green crackers would be allowed in the state on Diwali.

A complete ban has been imposed on the manufacturing, sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers, except for green crackers.

Khattar said open spaces have been earmarked for the sale of green crackers in each district. Strict action will be taken against those selling firecrackers without licence.

The Chief Minister said that Haryana is taking concrete steps for stubble management and improving air quality.

"To control stubble burning, the state government has implemented a framework which includes in-situ crop residue management, ex-situ management, effective monitoring, enforcement and wide reach of Information Education and Communication activities," he said.

He said under in-situ management 23 lakh metric tonnes (MT) crop residues will be utilized through various machines and decomposers and 13 MT crop residues will be utilised under ex-situ management.