SC walks tightrope, says yes to green crackers on Diwali & eve

NEW DELHI: Balancing the concerns for environment, sentiments of citizens during the festive season and right to livelihood of workers in the firecracker industry, Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily relaxed its complete ban and allowed bursting of only green crackers on two Diwali days, both in the morning and evening.

Permitting the sale of NEERI-approved green firecrackers through designated outlets from Oct 19 to Oct 20, a bench of CJI B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran ordered district administrations and police to “ensure that use of firecrackers shall be confined between 6-7am and 8-10pm on the two days i.e. the one before and on Diwali day”.

However, SC banned sale of crackers through e-commerce websites and transportation of any kind of crackers from outside into the National Capital Region (NCR). It continued the ban on joined firecrackers (laris). The court asked Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and state PCBs to monitor air quality index (AQI) daily from Oct 14 to 25, and file a report in SC.

Pronouncing the 21-page order five days ahead of Diwali, CJI Gavai said the permission to burst only green crackers, as allowed by SC in its Oct 23, 2018, judgment, was turned into a ban on all forms of crackers in Delhi and NCR on Dec 19 last year based on a complete ban on crackers issued by the Delhi govt on Oct 14 last year.

The bench said the SC ban on crackers has been observed more in breach during festive days as conventional firecrackers were smuggled in and burst, causing more harm to the environment. “In such a case, we must take a balanced approach, taking into account the conflicting interests and permit in moderation, while not compromising the environmental concerns arising,” it said.