Supreme Court bursts a ‘firecracker’
Diwali this year will be a less boisterous but — hopefully — much cleaner affair in and around the national capital as the Supreme Court on Monday banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR till November 1, almost two weeks after the festival of lights is over.
Residents will not be able to purchase firecrackers in the region this Diwali, which will be celebrated on October 19, a move that is likely to significantly prevent the annual toxicity in the air. The order does not prevent people from bursting crackers, but deals a blow to those engaged in their manufacturing and sale.
The order comes at a time when Delhi’s air quality has already hit “very unhealthy” levels. Medical experts had called last year’s pollution crisis in Delhi — worst in two decades — an epidemic, forcing the Aam Aadmi Party administration to temporarily shut schools, halt construction projects and promise giant air purifiers and even artificial rain.
On Monday, the top court reinstated its September 2016 order that had suspended all licences of wholesale and retail sales of firecrackers in the region. The order suspending the licences should be given one chance to test itself and find out whether there would be …read more
