Rush Hour: SC allows green firecrackers in Delhi, Prashant Kishor not to contest Bihar polls & more

Cloudbursts. Flash floods. Landslides. Could the Char Dham highway project be making the Uttarakhand Himalayas more vulnerable? Help us investigate the true cost of this infrastructure push. Click here.

The Supreme Court has allowed the sale and lighting of green firecrackers in Delhi and the adjoining areas in the National Capital Region during Diwali. The bench allowed the sale between October 18 and October 21 in designated locations, and limited the use of firecrackers between 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm.

The court said that a total ban, which it had imposed in April, had proven counterproductive as it led to the smuggling of conventional firecrackers that caused far greater harm to air quality. “We have to take a balanced approach,” it added.

Green firecrackers are considered less polluting than regular ones as they are made with modified formulations and do not contain harmful elements such as lithium, arsenic, barium and lead. Read on.

Why some Delhi residents leave the city during Diwali

Jan Suraaj party founder and former political strategist Prashant Kishor has announced that he will not contest the Bihar Assembly elections. The decision was taken by the party “for its greater good”, said Kishor.

“It was decided that I continue to do the work...

Read more