NGT: Cracker ban in cities showing poor air quality from Nov 9 to 30

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) from November 9 midnight to November 30 midnight, saying “celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases”.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel clarified that the direction will apply to all cities and towns in the country where the average of ambient air quality during November 2019 was in ‘poor’ and above categories. “There will be total ban against sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the NCR from midnight of November 9-10, 2020, to the midnight of November 30- December 1, 2020, to be reviewed thereafter,” the NGT said.

The cities/towns where air quality is ‘moderate’ or below, only green crackers be sold, and the timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to two hours during festivals like Diwali, Chhath, New Year/ Christmas Eve etc., as may be specified by the state concerned. “At other places, ban/restrictions are optional for the authorities but if there are more stringent measures under orders of the authorities, the same will prevail,” the bench said.

The NGT also directed all states and Union Territories to initiate special drives to contain air pollution from all sources in view of the potential of aggravation of COVID-19. The tribunal directed chief secretaries and DGPs of all states and UTs to issue and circulate orders with appropriate enforcement guidelines to all district magistrates, superintendents of police and State pollution control boards.