Blanket ban on firecrackers to continue in Delhi, says official

The blanket ban on bursting of firecrackers in the national capital will continue, a senior Delhi government official said on Monday after the Supreme Court set aside a Calcutta High Court order completely barring the sale and use of crackers in West Bengal during Kali Puja, Diwali and other festivals.

The National Green Tribunal had on December 2, 2020, directed that there would be a total ban on the sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the NCR and all cities and towns in the country where the ambient air quality falls under the "poor" and above category.

A senior official of the Delhi Pollution Control Board said there is no discussion or plan to allow green-certified firecrackers in Delhi and the blanket ban will continue.

Delhi has already been recording 'poor' to 'very air' quality. So, it is important to have a complete ban on firecrackers, he said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced a ban on firecrackers on September 15, saying it was "essential to save lives".

Later, on September 28, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee ordered a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in the national capital till January 1, 2022.

On Monday, the Supreme Court's special bench comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi said, "There cannot be a complete ban on firecrackers. Strengthen the mechanism to supervise and see that misuse is stopped."

It added that this is not a new issue and it is the executive which has to take a call on it.