New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday raised concerns over reports of conventional and uncertified firecrackers being openly sold in Delhi markets, a day after it permitted the sale and use of approved green crackers in the national capital and adjoining areas for a limited period ahead of Diwali.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale took note of a media report highlighting the availability of different varieties of firecrackers at shops across Delhi, including products allegedly being sold without mandatory certification and QR codes.
The bench asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the authorities, to examine the reported violations and take note of the situation.
" In today's report, there's a photograph, they say that notwithstanding yesterday's order, now everything is available in the (firecracker) shops. Please look into it," Justice Sundresh observed.
Referring to the reported availability of both authorised and unauthorised products, the judge further said, "They say that in the market every other cracker, licensed, unlicensed, QR code, or no QR code, everything is available. Please take note of it."
The observations came a day after the apex court, on November 2, permitted the sale of certified green firecrackers across Delhi-NCR between November 4 and 6, with their use allowed only on November 7 and 8. The relaxation is subject to specific conditions, after which the blanket prohibition on firecrackers will come back into force from November 9.
Under the directions, residents can burst crackers only during two designated windows, from 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm on November 7 and 8.
The court has made it clear that the relaxation does not extend to conventional firecrackers. Only products certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) are permitted for manufacture and sale.
The order also mandates that sales take place exclusively at designated outlets, while online transactions have been prohibited. Every permitted firecracker package must carry an individual QR code to establish its certification.
Further, the court has prohibited the manufacture and sale of firecracker strings, commonly known as laris, as well as products containing barium.
The latest observations highlight concerns over the enforcement of the court's conditional relaxation, particularly whether market sales are being restricted to products that meet the prescribed environmental and safety standards.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.