The centre on 21st August pleaded to the Supreme Court to not impose a complete ban of the sale of firecrackers during the Diwali season. Instead, the centre exerted that the apex court must impose some sort of a restriction on the decibel level and manufacture of specific crackers during the occasion. Additional Solicitor General Nadkarni made this submission before the bench headed by Justice A K Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan while they were hearing petitions seeking a ban on the sale of crackers as they cause air pollution. He also emphasised the need for ‘green crackers’ rather than imposing a complete blanket ban on the production of crackers.
The Supreme Court had received a number of appeals to impose a complete ban and restriction on firecrackers and sparklers as the rates of pollution were increasing rapidly. The Union Ministry of Environment had submitted a five-page affidavit to the apex court suggesting ways to deal with the pollution problem and chalking out short-term measures to combat pollution during Diwali.
“Low emission sound and light emitting functional crackers with PM reduction by 30-35% and a significant reduction in nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide due to in-situ water generation as the dust suppressant and low cost due to the usage of low-cost oxidants,” said the centre in its defence.
It was pointed out that the turnover from the firecracker industry is worth thousands of crores and with 350 units. It also provides direct employment to over three lakh people and indirect employment to ten lakh people. Thus any reckless step towards the fireworks industry will affect the livelihood of lakhs of people who are dependent solely on this industry to earn their wages.
In 2017, the Supreme Court banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region for a limited period. The bench had said it wanted to use the ban to assess the difference in air quality in the highly-polluted regions. However, a month before this, the bench had said that a complete ban would be ‘extreme; and emphasised the need for a reduction in the use of firecrackers during such occasions.