Delhi's Diwali firecracker sales touch ₹500cr mark: Report
This Diwali, Delhi's firecracker sales shot up to about ₹500cr—a big 40% jump from last year—even though strict rules and pollution warnings were in place.
The Supreme Court only allowed the sale of green crackers between October 18-21, and permitted bursting them for a few hours on the day before Diwali and on Diwali itself.
Many ignored rules, burst crackers late into night
With shortages in Delhi, plenty of folks traveled to Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad to buy firecrackers.
Decorative lights were also flying off the shelves.
Despite the set timings, many ignored the rules and burst crackers late into the night, sometimes till 3:00am.
Air quality slipped into 'very poor' and 'severe' categories
All the extra fireworks left elderly residents and people with breathing issues struggling.
Even though eco-friendly options were pushed, many didn't follow the guidelines.
Now, resident welfare associations want stricter enforcement next Diwali, especially after Delhi's air quality slipped into the "very poor" and "severe" range post-festival.