Crime Today News
The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a year-long ban on the manufacture, storage, sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi and adjoining areas that form the National Capital Region, Live Law reported.
The bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that limiting the ban to just 3 to 4 months in a year would be ineffective, as fireworks would continue to be sold in other months and stored for use during the ban period.
The court also observed that not everyone has the means to purchase an air purifier for their homes or workplaces to fight pollution.
“There is a section of [the] population who works on streets and they are the worst affected by this pollution,” the court further said. “After all right to health is an essential part of Article 21 of the constitution of India, so is right to live in a pollution-free atmosphere.”
The court ruled that “so-called green crackers” would not be exempt from the ban, citing a Union government report stating that their emissions were only 30% lower than those of conventional crackers.
On October 14, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee banned the production, storage, sale and use of all types of firecrackers in the national capital till January 1, 2025.
Despite this, firecrackers were lit across the city during Diwali festivities. On November 1, the morning after the festival, Delhi’s air pollution was recorded at 14 times the “safe” limit prescribed by the World Health Organization.
On November 4, the top court asked the Delhi government to consider a perpetual ban on firecrackers, stating that the restriction was hardly implemented in the national capital during Diwali.
On November 11, the same bench stated that no religion promotes any activity that causes pollution while criticising the Delhi government for its failure to enforce a ban on the use of firecrackers.
On December 19, the Delhi government told the court that it had imposed a complete ban on firecrackers throughout the year.
The court had held that the action would be effective only if the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, parts of which are included in the National Capital Region, imposed similar measures.
Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, which is often ranked the world’s most polluted capital. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, along with falling temperatures, decreased wind speeds and emissions from industries and coal-fired plants contribute to the problem.
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