NEW DELHI: A large number of high-decibel firecrackers thundered throughout Diwali night as people in Delhi flouted the ban imposed on these by the city government.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said last week that bursting firecrackers in the national capital on Diwali will attract a jail term of up to six months and a fine of Rs 200.
Despite the legal deterrent in place, people in many parts of the city, including in south and northwest Delhi, started bursting crackers by Monday evening. High-intensity firecrackers could be heard going off on the ground or mid-air.
The air quality in Delhi on the morning after Diwali was recorded in the 'very poor' category but the situation was relatively better than previous years due to favourable meteorological conditions which prevented rapid accumulation of pollutants.
The capital's air quality index (AQI) stood at 326 at 7 am on Tuesday.
The neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad (285), Noida (320), Greater Noida (294), Gurugram (315) and Faridabad (310) reported 'poor' to 'very poor' air quality.