SC pulls up govt bodies over norms for ‘green crackers’

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed its dismay over the inability of government agencies to formulate norms for “green crackers”, which could help reduce air pollution.

The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), which was directed by the court in October to fix norms and formulations for producing eco-friendly crackers, sought three more months in complying with the order.

PESO, the government agency that controls the use of explosives, said the delay in compliance has been due to “unavoidable circumstances”.

Last October, ahead of Diwali, a bench led by Justice A K Sikri had banned noisy and polluting crackers. The bench on Wednesday told the PESO representative that the court had on government’s submission ordered use of green crackers with low emission. “And now we are in February and still there is no formulation,” Justice Sikri said.

Lawyers representing fireworks manufacturers said more than 900 factories are lying shut and over four lakh workers are without jobs. They said PESO, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) officials have come up with draft formulation and that the manufacturers should be allowed to start the production. However, the plea was opposed by petitioner’s advocate who said that the court ordered in favour of green crackers on the Centre’s suggestion. “Let the Centre come back with its response,” he said. At this the court fixed February 22 to hear the matter again.

According to the PESO affidavit, two meetings were held in January between NEERI, CSIR and its own officials. The term green crackers, it said, referred to two categories — improved firecrackers and new formulation firecrackers.