Residents, activists anguished over post-Diwali air pollution

The ceaseless bursting of firecrackers on Diwali night in violation of a Supreme Court directive has highlighted the difficulties faced by government agencies in enforcing orders when laws are routinely flouted and accentuated the "large gap" between the law and the capacity to enforce it, activists said Thursday.

In cities across India, firecrackers went up in smoke before and after the 8 to 10 p.m. limit imposed by the Supreme Court days before Diwali.

The court had also ordered that firecrackers, which do not meet noise and smoke specifications, should not be sold in the national capital.

Ashutosh Dikshit, CEO, URJA (apex body of Delhi resident welfare associations) said, "The bursting of firecrackers on Diwali night in violation of a Supreme Court directive has highlighted the difficulty in enforcing orders when even minor laws are routinely flouted."
South Delhi resident Sagarika Sharma said she had lost her mother to lung cancer last year due to this hazardous pollution. "My mother was not a smoker or drinker, but yes, she was guilty of living in Delhi."
Sharma wonders how people cannot understand the repercussions of bursting crackers. "I understand they want to celebrate but at the cost of digging ones own grave!"