NEW DELHI: Ahead of the festive season, Supreme Court on Wednesday paved the way for the manufacture and sale of next-generation joined green firecrackers after Centre’s recommendation. Commonly known as ‘ladi’, these were earlier banned by the court.SC also said a separate order would be passed for Delhi and indicated that while the bursting of firecrackers would not be banned, the activity would not be allowed at all hours.Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati told a bench of justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale that government had recommended that joined firecrackers, which complied with norms fixed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), be allowed. The issue of using barium chemical remains undecided as the ASG told the bench that field trials were on, and sought time till Oct 15.Submitting the findings of CSIR-NEERI, Bhati said the report said 25 braids were burst in one second in conventional joined firecrackers whereas in next-generation joined firecrackers, only five braids were burst in a second.Government said manufacturers must comply with specifications/formulations tested and approved by the competent authority as well as with the prescribed noise limit and emission and safety requirements fixed under the law.Advocate Pranav Sachdeva, appearing for some manufacturers, assured the bench they would do so.As the pollution crisis in winter has become an annual affair in Delhi, the bench said it would pass a separate order for the national capital. “We’re making this very clear. Neither are we going to agree with you for a total ban nor are we going to allow it 24 hours,” the court said.
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A total ban would have a “sentimental effect”, SC said, but allowing bursting of crackers throughout the day would have a “huge impact on every other living being, including old people, sick people and children”.“We need to find a solution whereby we can give specified time and we can specify what crackers are to be used,” the bench told the petitioner seeking curbs on the sale of firecrackers in NCR.Earlier, two government organisations had taken contradictory stands in SC on allowing next-generation green firecrackers. While CSIR-NEERI approved them saying their pollution levels had decreased by 40-60% and recommended commercial production of flowerpots, sparklers, ‘chakkars’, pencils, ‘ladis’ and twinkling stars, Central Pollution Control Board said they contained barium nitrate, which was banned by SC.
