Plea to ban firecrackers: SC seeks manufacturers' response

The Supreme Court today sought the response from the Centre and firecracker makers on a plea seeking complete ban on its manufacturing across the country.
A bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta sought the replies from Centre and firecracker makers on a plea filed by some minors on the ground that fire works caused air and noise pollution.
The apex court had earlier refused to modify its order banning the sale and stockpiling of firecrackers in Delhi and the national capital region.
It had refused to revoke the suspension of licences of traders dealing in such explosive material.

The apex court had directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to prepare a inventory of existing firecrackers with the traders and suggest measures for their disposal.
It had said that first the stocks will be inventorised by CPCB, then it will look into the pleas of traders seeking to modify its earlier order and allow them to dispose of their existing stocks by selling it outside Delhi-NCR.

The CPCB had told the court that the chemical composition of firecrackers which are commonly used exceeded some of the prescribed parameters which may have harmful effects.
The board in its report had said that most of the firecrackers carried large amount of sulphur which is one of the major causes of air pollution.

The court had asked CPCB to upload the prescribed limit of chemical composition of commonly used firecrackers on its website.
The apex court had on November 11 last year directed the Centre to suspend all such licences as permit sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail within the territory of NCR and said that the suspension shall remain in force till further orders of the court.
It had also directed that no such licences shall be granted or renewed till further orders.