Delhi to move Supreme Court to allow certified green crackers on Diwali

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government will move the Supreme Court seeking permission for the use of certified green crackers on Diwali.

Gupta said Diwali is the most important festival of Indian culture and his government has decided to approach the court in view of crores of people celebrating the festival in the city.

“The Delhi government reiterated its commitment to effectively control pollution and protect the environment and assured full cooperation to the Supreme Court to implement any directions issued in this regard,” the Chief Minister said.

On September 26, the apex court allowed certified manufacturers to produce green crackers, but banned its sale in Delhi-NCR without its approval.

The court allowed manufacturers certified by NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) as well as PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization) to produce green crackers.

Reports say the Delhi government is likely to convey to the court that it has no objection to the use of green crackers if they are manufactured by certified manufacturers.

“The government may seek permission for limited and periodic bursting of green crackers on Diwali with any appropriate restrictions, while assuring adequate enforcement measures to check the use of prohibited conventional crackers,” he said.

Experts said green crackers emit about 30% less pollutants than conventional ones and contain limited amounts of harmful chemicals like barium nitrate.

It was in 2017 that the Supreme Court imposed the first temporary ban on the sale and use of traditional firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, holding that firecrackers are one of the significant contributors to pollution.

In 2018, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) developed a new type of firecrackers called ‘Green Firecrackers’.

In October 2018, the Supreme Court conditionally allowed limited use of certified green firecrackers. The court ruled that only certified green crackers can be used, that too between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali night, and only those purchased from authorized vendors will be considered valid.

In 2019 and 2020, the Delhi government imposed a total ban on all types of firecrackers as air pollution levels remained in the ‘severe’ category.

The ban continued further and was extended till January 1, 2025, through a DPCC notification last year.

With inputs from PTI