NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday said that the Delhi government will urge the Supreme Court to allow the use of certified green firecrackers during Diwali. The government will present its stand in writing before the apex court, she said.
Gupta emphasised that the proposal aims to balance the emotional significance of the festival with the need for environmental safety, ensuring that celebrations are both joyful and responsible.
The government’s stance will include measures to ensure that only authorised entities produce certified green firecrackers. These firecrackers, which meet pollution control standards, will be available for sale to residents wishing to celebrate Diwali in a cleaner, safer environment, she said.
“Diwali is a deeply significant festival for millions of people in India. A complete ban on firecrackers has not yielded the desired results in the past and violations have led to the use of highly polluting firecrackers, worsening Delhi’s air quality,” Gupta said.
Delhi has seen strict firecracker bans in recent years due to severe pollution levels, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) regularly reaching the ‘severe’ category during the festival season. Sources from the government pointed out that had the previous administration taken effective action on pollution control, a blanket ban on firecrackers might not have been necessary.
The ban on firecrackers began around 2015–16, following a series of pollution spikes during the winter months. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Delhi government and the Supreme Court became increasingly involved to regulate firecracker use.
In 2017, the apex court imposed a temporary ban on the sale and use of traditional firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, recognising their significant contribution to pollution.
In 2018, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) developed “green firecrackers” that emit 30% less pollutants compared to traditional ones. That year, the Supreme Court permitted their limited use, subject to conditions such as certification, sales by authorised vendors and restricted hours (8 pm to 10 pm) on Diwali night.
However, the then Delhi government again displayed negligence on this issue.
After the Court’s order, it stated that there was no clear system in place for identification, certification and distribution of green firecrackers in the capital. As a result, in practice, a complete ban on firecrackers persisted in 2019, 2020 and subsequent years.
The Delhi government imposed a ban on both traditional and green firecrackers, citing pollution concerns.
The NGT also directed that in areas with “poor” or worse AQI, no firecrackers could be used. In 2023, the Supreme Court clarified that it had not imposed a blanket ban on green firecrackers, leaving the decision to individual states.
Nonetheless, each year, under pollution control policies, a blanket ban has been enforced in the national capital on all kinds of firecrackers, including certified green ones.
