According to senior officials in Delhi government, a file regarding the ban was moved for approval this Wednesday. The move has come after the heavy spell of smog and severe spike in pollution levels following Diwali celebrations.
With air quality hitting hazardous levels since Diwali, the Delhi government is mulling a ban on use of firecrackers during events such as wedding processions and rallies, among others. The ban may set in from this winter itself, sources said.
According to senior officials in Delhi government, a file regarding the ban was moved for approval this Wednesday. The move has come after the heavy spell of smog and severe spike in pollution levels following Diwali celebrations.
"It had been a long pending recommendation, but would get stuck each time because of different sentiments attached to it. However, the unprecedented levels of pollution during this month has forced the government to tighten 'any' use of crackers," said a senior Delhi government official.
He added that the decision will involve listing of firecracker manufacturers and suppliers across the city. At present there is a ban only on 'imported fir-crackers' for which the AAP-led Delhi government ran a campaign.
"At present there are no manufacturers listed for the job, anyone and everyone gets into the business. Also there is a breach of set guidelines for emissions and noise levels every year. We need to regulate and toughen the procedure for procuring licenses for making crackers," said the official.
If approved, the decision will come in effect from this year itself, he added.
"The coming months will see a large number of weddings in the city. For instance, if there are 10,000 weddings on a single day, it can certainly spike the pollution levels making the winter air quality worse," he said.
Even before Diwali, environmentalists had called the government to go tough on fir-cracker burning.
"The government's anti-firecracker campaign did help in creating some awareness. However, banning only Chinese crackers is not enough for crackers of any kind produce combustion and release pollutants. They must regulate, limit and restrict licenses to manufacturers. They have to toughen the measures," said Vivek Chattopadhyaya, Senior Scientist, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The Delhi government set up a comprehensive regional plan to curb pollution earlier this week for Delhi NCR after pollution levels remained in the 'severe' category for four consecutive days post-Diwali.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) officials maintain that air pollution peaks during the day and in the wee hours of morning.
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