Apex court bans manufacture, sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi, Nov 26: The Supreme Court on Friday banned the manufacturing and sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region due to its harmful effects on the quality of air.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur directed the Union government to suspend all licences for sale, manufacturing and stocking of firecrackers with immediate effect.

“No such licence shall be granted or renewed till our further orders,” the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri and S A Bobde, said.

The court order comes as yet another decision to tackle the rising pollution in Delhi and its surrounding districts of Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram.

Besides imposing the ban, the court also asked the Central Pollution Control Board to study and prepare a report to show what elements were used in the manufacturing of the firecrackers in order to ascertain if they were harmful to people.

Three toddlers, aged between 3 to 14 months, through their parents had earlier approached the apex court seeking direction to completely ban bursting of firecrackers here.

Arjun Goyal, Aarav Bhandari and Zoya Rao Bhasin, all residents of Delhi, urged the court to protect their fundamental right for a clean and healthy environment.

Earlier, the court sought to know the concrete record showing impact of firecrackers on the air quality and human health, lifestyle and their productivity.

“Firecrackers are not only used in Diwali. They have become a part of life. Nowadays, they are used even during cricket matches, festivals, weddings and anniversaries. People are least bothered about its impact on the environment,” the bench had then said