The Supreme Court of India has asked why firecracker bans and pollution control policies are being applied only in Delhi and its National Capital Region (NCR), stating that clean air should be a right for all citizens, not just those living in the capital.
In a hearing over a plea challenging the April 3 order that imposes a complete ban on the manufacture, storage, sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi–NCR, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran questioned the selective nature of the restriction.
“If citizens in NCR are entitled to clean air, why not people of other cities?...Whatever policy has to be there, it should be at the pan-India level. We cannot make a policy only for Delhi because they are elite citizens of the country,” CJI Gavai said.
The Chief Justice noted that pollution in certain other cities can be worse than in Delhi. “I went to Amritsar last winter … the pollution there was worse than Delhi. If firecrackers are to be banned, then it should be in the whole country,” he added.
The court also pointed out the economic fallout: many poor workers depend on the firecracker industry, and a blanket ban disproportionately affects them.
The Centre has been asked to get a detailed report from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) on alternatives like “green crackers.” The next hearing is scheduled for September 22.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)