Eco-Friendly or Not? Supreme Court Asks Authorities to Prove Green Crackers' Credentials

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : The Supreme Court has heard the issue of pollution caused by firecrackers. The court justified the complete ban on firecrackers in Delhi NCR. However, in the report presented by the Central Pollution Control Board, NEERI, CSIR in the court, it was said that green firecrackers cause 30% less pollution as compared to other firecrackers. In view of this report, the firecracker manufacturing companies had also demanded exemption. On this the Supreme Court said that till it is proved that green firecrackers cause negligible pollution, there is no justification for changing the old order of ban.

The court said that the right to health is a part of the right to life under Article 21. People have the right to live in a healthy environment. The decision taken by the court earlier to ban firecrackers was also taken in view of the extremely dangerous level of pollution in Delhi NCR. It can be understood what effect it would have on the common man because not everyone can afford to buy an air purifier. A large section of people who work on the road and in the streets are most affected by pollution. The court made the firecracker manufacturing companies realize their responsibility and said that it is also their responsibility to ensure that Delhi remains pollution-free. It is their responsibility to further improve the quality of their so-called green firecrackers. The Supreme Court directed the states falling under NCR to take effective steps to ban firecrackers. State governments should create machinery that ensures punitive action against those who violate the ban.

The court said that Delhi and Haryana have complied with the order on online sale of firecrackers. The court has asked Rajasthan and UP to also ban online sale and submit a report on the implementation of this order within two weeks. During the hearing, a person named Mukesh Jain termed the ban on firecrackers as an international conspiracy and made serious allegations against the original petitioner MC Mehta in the pollution case. Mukesh Jain alleged that MC Mehta has received money from international organizations, which have links with Naxalite organizations. The court expressed objection to this and said that we do not know MC Mehta personally, but he has been continuously raising various serious environmental issues in the court through his petitions. The court has been passing orders on his petitions since 1984. The orders passed in his cases have helped the government and agencies to curb pollution. The court expressed strong displeasure over Mukesh Jain's stance and warned that such allegations will not be tolerated. However, the court did not impose any fine on Mukesh Jain, and let him go with a warning.