Cracker ban in Delhi-NCR: CPCB warns against Diwali re-run on Christmas, New Year

NEW DELHI: The

Central Pollution Control Board

has written to authorities in

Noida and Ghaziabad

, asking them to restrict bursting of

unauthorised firecrackers in compliance

with the

Supreme Court ban

, even during Christmas and New Year.


According to a senior CPCB official, similar letters will also be sent to other authorities in Delhi and NCR.

Earlier, the apex pollution control board had issued notices to police commissioners of Delhi, Faridabad and Gurgaon, SPs of Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar, and district magistrates of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Gautam Budh Nagar on why the firecracker ban was not implemented in Diwali.

On October 23, the Supreme Court had ruled that people in the country can burst firecrackers from 8pm to 10pm on Diwali, permitting the sale and manufacture of only low-emission 'green' firecrackers countrywide. For Christmas and New Year, cracker bursting has been allowed for 11.45pm to 12.45am.

The order clearly mentioned that only “green firecrackers” (those not containing barium salts) will be sold in Delhi-NCR, and that chain firecrackers (laris) be banned. However, green crackers are not available in the market yet and Diwali saw violation of the order all over Delhi-NCR. The earlier notice mentioned directions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for restricting bursting of firecrackers in Delhi, and cited SC orders on October 23, which permitted production of firecrackers with reduced emissions (improved crackers and green crackers) in Delhi- NCR, and on October 31, which banned sale of crackers other than green ones.

“Available evidence does not suggest that Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization has given any certificate for production of reduced emission cracker… the air quality in Delhi were adversely impacted due to bursting of firecrackers on November 7,” it had said.

In the letter, dated December 10, addressed to Noida district magistrate, CPCB chairperson SP Singh Parihar said the authorities must comply with the Arjun Gopal & vs Union of India, 2018, order “during Christmas and New Year” and “step up effort and take extensive ground actions and implementation of graded response action plan to curtail air polluting activities in your jurisdiction”. Same directions were given to the Ghaziabad district magistrate.

According to the letter, Ghaziabad had issued 45 temporary licenses for sale of firecrackers but no verification or compliance status of license conditions have been reported. Similarly, Noida had issued 83 licenses for sale of green crackers, out of which action was taken against 70 but there is no report from 13 license holders.