Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday questioned the Supreme Court's decision to permit the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on Diwali, alleging that the last-minute relaxation could lead to mismanagement and misuse.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Bharadwaj questioned why the court waited until the eleventh hour to announce the decision, pointing out that Diwali falls on November 8 this year.
Concerns over green cracker authenticity
He also raised concerns over the availability and authenticity of green crackers, asking whether manufacturers had anticipated the relaxation and produced certified products in advance or would simply relabel conventional firecrackers as green crackers to cash in on the decision.
Bharadwaj further alleged that previous relaxations had been marred by corruption, claiming that police personnel had accepted bribes to allow conventional crackers to be sold as green firecrackers. He also accused the Centre and the Delhi government of being complicit in irregularities, alleging that air quality monitoring stations had been shut down overnight.
"Dilliwaale Ram bharose hain," he remarked, taking a swipe at the authorities over their handling of air pollution.
Supreme Court permits limited bursting hours
The Supreme Court, in an order dated October 29, permitted the bursting of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR between 6 am and 7 am and 8 pm and 10 pm on November 7 and 8.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale also prohibited firecrackers within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, healthcare centres, old-age homes and notified silence zones.
Complete ban returns from November 9
The court clarified that the complete ban on firecrackers would be restored from November 9. It also prohibited barium-based crackers, firecrackers not certified by CSIR-NEERI and series crackers or 'ladis'.
