The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to enforce complete bans on firecrackers, mirroring the ban already established in Delhi.
Noting the ban will effective only when other National Capital Region states have like measures in place, the bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih, which is hearing the Delhi-NCR air pollution matter, said, “Rajasthan has also enacted a similar ban for its areas that are part of the NCR. Therefore, we instruct Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to adopt a ban similar to that of Delhi effective from December 19, 2024.”
During the ongoing hearings in the MC Mehta case, Delhi government counsel Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat said the comprehensive ban on firecrackers, which includes the manufacture, storage, sale, distribution, and use of all types of firecrackers. He stressed the need for neighbouring NCR states to implement analogous bans to prevent firecrackers from being transported into Delhi.
It was noted that while Haryana had allowed the use of green crackers, Rajasthan had enforced a complete ban on firecrackers in its NCR regions.
The Court highlighted in its order that, “Using powers under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act, 1993, the Delhi government has imposed a thorough ban on the manufacture, storage, sale, including distribution via online platforms, and the use of all firecrackers in the NCT of Delhi with immediate effect.”
The bench further indicated that the effectiveness of this ban relies on similar restrictions being adopted by other states in the NCR.
The Court has scheduled the matter for a further hearing on January 15, 2025, to deliberate on additional directives regarding the firecracker ban.
On December 12, the Court mandated that the Delhi government and other NCR states decide on implementing a complete year-round ban on firecrackers, emphasizing the necessity of such measures to mitigate air and noise pollution.
The post Supreme Court asks Uttar Pradesh, Haryana to enforce fircracker ban like in Delhi appeared first on India Legal.