Activists raise concern over Supreme Court order on green firecrackers raises, traders lament stock availability

The Supreme Court's decision on Monday to allow green firecrackers on November 7 and 8 has raised concerns over its implementation, with environmental activists questioning how the restrictions can be enforced at such short notice and traders warning that the limited window leaves them little time to procure stocks.

Over the years, both complete or partial bans on firecrackers have been openly flouted by people in the national capital.

In 2019, when only green crackers were allowed and several months were given to prepare for implementing it, Delhi still saw the decision being openly flouted and also there was a lack of stock in many shops.

Later, the Delhi government moved to a complete ban, including green firecrackers, for a few months around Diwali, but that too was flouted on a large scale.

Last year, the Supreme Court passed a order similar to this year, lifting the ban temporarily to allow green firecrackers to be burst for a fixed window of time for two days during Deepavali. But this ban was also openly flouted and the air turned toxic with many air quality monitoring stations in Delhi being unable to record the level of air pollution as they maxed out.

"Unless there is a blanket ban on firecrackers, people will burst all types of firecrackers in the city. We have seen that over the years, including last year. Even after the ban was reimposed after Deepavali last year, people continued to burst firecrackers for marriages, concerts and everything else in Delhi," said Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist.

"There are no green firecrackers available in the market. Also, who will check on the ground, and how, what type of firecrackers people are bursting? The air will be toxic again after Deepavali," she added.

Difficult to procure, sell

Rajiv Kumar Jain, 68, a member of the Delhi Fireworks Traders Association, said traders welcomed the court order but were concerned that the short notice would leave them with little time to procure sufficient stocks of green firecrackers.

"Our permanent licences have been suspended, and we need to get them reinstated tomorrow. We can sell only on November 4, 5 and 6. That leaves us only one day to get the firecrackers from the manufacturers, which is very difficult," Mr. Jain said.

"Last year, too, we were allowed to sell for only three days, but we were allowed to sell on Chhoti and Badi Deepavali. This year, however, we are not allowed to sell on either Chhoti or Badi Deepavali," he added.

The firecracker ban has also been politically contentious. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) repeatedly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government, which was then in power in Delhi, over the restrictions. After coming to power last year, the BJP government approached the Supreme Court, seeking permission to allow green firecrackers.