New Delhi: The Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that the Delhi Government has imposed a complete ban on the manufacture, storage, sale (including through online platforms), and bursting of all types of firecrackers in the city year-round.

The court directed the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to impose similar bans. 

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih issued the directive after the Haryana, Rajasthan , and Uttar Pradesh governments presented differing positions on banning firecrackers, despite the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). 

“For the time being, we direct Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to impose a similar ban which is imposed by Delhi,” the bench was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench. The top court has been hearing petitions urging stronger measures to combat air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, where air quality has frequently fluctuated between “very poor” and “severe” levels due to unfavorable weather conditions.

On December 12, the Delhi government informed the court that while it had imposed a ban on firecrackers until January, it was contemplating extending the ban throughout the year. The court then asked the NCR states to submit their decisions regarding a potential year-round firecracker ban, emphasizing that such measures were necessary to address both air and noise pollution.

Advocate Aparajita Singh, acting as amicus curiae, confirmed that the Delhi government had indeed decided to enforce a year-round ban on firecrackers.

The Haryana government announced it would only permit the sale of “green crackers,” while Rajasthan confirmed a complete ban on firecrackers in areas within the NCR. In contrast, Uttar Pradesh stated it did not support a full ban on firecrackers.

Taking note of it the Supreme Court emphasized that the ban would be most effective if all NCR states implemented uniform regulations. As a result, the court ordered the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments to impose a total ban on firecrackers in line with Delhi’s decision.

The court also directed all states to identify workers affected by the Stage-IV restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and provide them with subsistence allowances. Stage-IV restrictions, which apply during the winter months, include a ban on construction and demolition activities, including public projects, as well as restrictions on the entry of non-essential goods trucks into Delhi.

“We direct all the states to ascertain which workers are affected by GRAP 4. While doing so, they should not rely solely on the technicality of registration on the portal,” the bench noted.