Delhi Set Tochoke Ontoxic Crackers

City Dussehra may witness polluting fireworks Stockpiling of old firecrackers for Diwali peaks Chinese crackers flood shops, cops begin raids

- Nayanika Singhal, Rohit Mishra & Gulam Jeelani

On the eve of last year’s Diwali, the Supreme Court banned conventional firecrackers and ruled that only green ones with reduced emissions will be allowed.

On the festival day, Delhi was clocking dangerous pollution levels. This was because green crackers couldn’t be developed, and old polluting stocks were used with impunity.

On Saturday, Harsh Vardhan, Union Health and Science & Technology Minister, promised that green crackers with 30 per cent fewer emissions will be available to help control pollution as well as take care of people’s sentiments.

But a Mail Today reality check has revealed that green crackers developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), are still not available in most markets and the situation may not change on Diwali (November 27).

Tuesday’s Dussehra may witness polluting fireworks, stockpiling of old firecrackers for Diwali has peaked and obnoxious Chinese products have already flooded shops, the reality check also showed.

NO GREEN CRACKERS

Very few traders have applied for licenses to sell green varieties. Traders said the police began license distribution for green crackers from October 7, with just 20 days to go for Diwali.