Supreme Court Partially Lifts Firecracker Ban, Temporarily Allows Green Crackers in Delhi-NCR

Ahead of the festive season, the Supreme Court has temporarily permitted the use of NEERI-approved green firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region, with the sale and bursting subject to a set of stringent conditions to combat hazardous air pollution.

The use of firecrackers has been strictly confined to a four-hour window, from 6 pm to 10 pm. The court’s order emphasises rigorous enforcement measures, including a ban on e-commerce sales and a system to track genuine products.

The bench issued a firm directive stating that there shall be no supply of firecrackers to the NCR region from outside regions, aiming to curb the influx of conventional, high-polluting products. Further, the court mandated that e-commerce websites, such as Amazon and Flipkart, are strictly prohibited from accepting online orders or effecting any online sales of firecrackers.

To ensure compliance and authenticity, manufacturers of green crackers are now required to submit their products with QR codes approved by regulatory bodies, and these codes must be uploaded on an official website for public and official verification.

The court directed that a dedicated patrol team shall conduct regular checks on green cracker manufacturers, and if any fake green crackers containing banned chemicals are found, the manufacturer's licence will be suspended.

In a directive to monitor the environmental impact of the temporary relaxation, the Supreme Court has instructed the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Boards to actively monitor the Air Quality Index across the region starting from October 18th.

The boards are also tasked with conducting sampling of the air and water and submitting a detailed report of the monitoring results to the Court. This comprehensive surveillance framework aims to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of green crackers on pollution levels.