Delhi govt bans production, sale, use of all firecrackers till Jan 1, 2025

The Delhi government, in a bid to control yearly winter onslaught of air pollution in the Capital, on Monday announced a complete ban on all types of firecrackers till January 1, 2025. State environment minister Gopal Rai said the ban, imposed under relevant sections of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, will apply to the production, storage, sale, and use of all firecrackers, including “green” crackers.
Speaking at a press conference, Rai said Delhi records a spike in air pollution during the winter season, and the bursting of firecrackers adds to local emissions.
“In view of such a situation, like last year, this time also, a complete ban is being imposed on the production, storage, sale and use of all types of firecrackers so that people can be saved from pollution. There will also be a complete ban on the online delivery or sale of any kind of firecrackers,” the minister said.
A DPCC official said they will also issue a formal notification for the ban in the coming days.
To be sure, the government has enforced a blanket ban on firecrackers every year since 2020, but it has little effect on the ground — a black market forms selling firecrackers unabated across NCR — and usually by Diwali, there is rampant violation, leading to the city getting engulfed in a thick haze for several days.
Every year, Delhi faces a public health crisis in the run-up to and during most of the winter season. The crisis begins with the emanation of farm fires in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, where farmers set fire to hundreds of square kilometres of paddy fields after harvesting them to clear them of residue, causing a smog jacket to form over northern India, particularly Delhi.
What exacerbates this crisis is the fact that this period also coincides with Diwali, and the emissions from firecrackers, combined with the emanation from the farm fires, often leads to a drastic deterioration of the Capital’s air, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing past 400 and even 450, to reach pollution levels of “severe” and “severe-plus”.
On Monday, Rai said a joint action plan involving the Delhi Police, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and the state revenue department will soon be formed, which will ensure strict enforcement of the ban.
“So that there is no confusion among the people regarding firecrackers, this ban is valid for all types of firecrackers. This ban will remain in force in Delhi till January 1, 2025, so that Delhi residents can get relief from the problem of pollution caused by burning firecrackers.” he said.
Referring to traders dealing in firecrackers incurring possible losses, Rai said the intention of the government was to avoid a last-minute ban, which may inconvenience both traders and the general public. He also said the government has been fairly active over the last few years in banning firecrackers, adding that a ban on crackers is also part of a 21-point winter action plan being formulated by the government.
“To control pollution in Delhi, we all have to take responsibility together. If every citizen of Delhi becomes a pollution warrior and takes the lead to save the environment, then we will be able to save people from the danger to their breathing due to pollution. We want to tell Delhi residents to celebrate the festival (Diwali) by lighting diyas and distributing sweets. We have to celebrate the festival with flamboyance but we have to control pollution with the same responsibility,” he said.
Responding to the development, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the AAP government should take concrete steps to control pollution. “Without controlling stubble and dust pollution, the people of Delhi cannot get relief. Every year, the traditional joy and enthusiasm of Hindus on Diwali is destroyed by banning firecrackers on Diwali. At least green firecrackers should be allowed,” he said.
The Delhi government first banned firecrackers in 2017, when the Supreme Court asked whether a ban on bursting crackers in the Capital would impact the air quality. Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2018 banned all conventional firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, and allowed only “green” crackers without barium salts to be burst in the region. However, due to difficulty in differentiating between “green” and conventional crackers, the state government since 2020 began imposing a blanket ban on all firecrackers every winter season.
Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist said a ban on firecrackers is announced every year in September, but little is done to ensure implementation, meaning it ultimately fails. “The ban is also only being imposed till January 1, whereas a complete ban is required throughout the year. Already, many people would have bought firecrackers and must be storing it,” she said