 "firecrackers, crackers, Diwali")
Delhi Government has banned the manufacturing, sale, storage, and use of firecrackers for the third consecutive year to curb pollution in Delhi in Winter.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, while hearing against the ban imposed on firecrackers, refused to interfere with the Delhi Government's decision to ban the bursting, sale, storage and even manufacturing of the crackers in the Capital city.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai called it a comprehensive decision to tackle air pollution in the national capital.
Pollution during winter in Delhi
Every year the AQI index worsens during winter, and to curb this, the Delhi government has banned firecrackers in Delhi. Firecrackers are one of the reasons for air pollution in India along with dust storms, the burning of solid fuel for heating, stubble burning, vehicular emissions and industrial emissions.
To curb pollution, the Delhi government has banned firecrackers for the third consecutive year. Environment minister in his recent interview said that pollution level surges the very next day after Diwali due to usage of firecrackers. The Supreme Court in 2018 allowed only green crackers, but people used various types of crackers that elevated pollution levels that year as well.
Consequently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued an order on a total ban on crackers in the Delhi-NCR region where the pollution level is under the 'Poor' category. In 2021, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) took additional steps by banning and selling firecrackers. The officials were instructed not to issue licences for firecracker storage and prohibited the import of firecrackers from outside Delhi.
You should not burst firecrackers during election win, SC to MP Manoj Tiwari
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari filed a case against the Delhi Government's complete ban decision on firecrackers. Tiwari told the Supreme Court bench that a complete ban was imposed despite the courts allowing the bursting of green firecrackers.
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The Supreme Court bench told advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha, who was appearing for Tiwari, "No, we are not going to interfere. Where the government has banned firecrackers, it means complete ban. People's health is important. If you want to burst firecrackers, go to states where there is no ban.”
Shekhar Jha said, "People burst firecrackers during wedding and victory processions after elections, then why can't they be allowed to burst green firecrackers during festivals."
Jha even told the bench that the apex court and Calcutta High Court last year verdict that there will not be a complete ban on bursting firecrackers.
"You should make the people understand that they should not burst firecrackers. You should not burst firecrackers during victory processions after elections. There are other ways of celebrating the victory," the bench told Manoj Tiwari.
