Delhi govt to urge SC to allow green firecrackers

The Delhi government announced on Monday it will approach the Supreme Court seeking permission to allow green firecrackers on Diwali this year, seeking to revive a policy that failed miserably between 2018 and 2020 when enforcement proved impossible and air quality gains were negligible, if not entirely missing.

- Paras Singh and Jasjeev Gandhiok

Chief minister Rekha Gupta, speaking at the Delhi secretariat, said the government would request the court permit "certified green firecrackers" to balance "public sentiments and environmental protection." The move comes despite overwhelming evidence that distinguishing green from conventional firecrackers is practically impossible and that pollution reduction from green variants remains minimal.

Delhi's firecracker policy has oscillated for years. A comprehensive ban was first implemented in 2017 following a Supreme Court inquiry. The court allowed green firecrackers in 2018, but the government imposed annual blanket bans during winter from 2020 onward after enforcement collapsed. Each year, Delhi has widely flouted the ban, with law enforcement failing to act and air quality plummeting the day after Diwali.

Delhi environment minister Singh Sirsa Manjinder defended the move, saying green firecrackers are less polluting and will only be burst on a single day for a few hours.