Supreme Court allows green crackers to be manufactured in Delhi-NCR, but bans their sale

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed green crackers to be manufactured in the Delhi-National Capital Region but underlined that their sale and storage within the region continued to be banned, Bar and Bench reported.

The order comes ahead of Diwali on October 21. Green firecrackers are less polluting than regular ones as they are made with modified formulations and do not contain certain harmful elements such as lithium, arsenic, barium and lead.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai, and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria, responded to concerns about the absolute ban previously imposed in the National Capital Region and its impact on the livelihoods of workers, Live Law reported.

On Friday, the court granted temporary relief to certified manufacturers, clarifying that only those holding valid certifications from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute may manufacture green crackers.

They must also submit an undertaking not to sell the crackers in the region until further notice.

Gavai also drew a parallel with a prior ruling on a total mining ban in Bihar, which unintentionally gave rise to illegal mining mafias saying that it is necessary that “a balanced approach must be adopted”.

The matter will be heard next on October 8.
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