SC to examine whether there should be total-ban on firecrackers
The Supreme Court yesterday said it would examine whether there should be a total ban on the use of firecrackers as it noted that air-pollution reached hazardous proportions during Diwali. It said around 20-25% of children in Delhi suffer from respiratory problems due to abnormally high levels of pollution during Diwali. The court also noted that air pollution posed a major threat to infants.
SC ponders over its approach
"Are we supposed to take a holistic approach and ban everything that contributes to pollution or take an ad-hoc approach and simply ban firecrackers?" a bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan asked.
Defense argues ban on crackers has little effect on air-pollution
The apex court noted that the toxicity of the air increased exponentially after burning of crackers. Senior advocate CA Sundaram, appearing for a firecracker manufacturer, argued that according to studies, the effect of a ban on crackers on air pollution has been meager and that there should be a scientific study on the issue. The matter was listed for hearing on August 8.
Court had banned sale of firecrackers last year
The SC had last year banned the sale of firecrackers for a limited period. The court had refused to relax its October-9 order banning the firecrackers' sale while dismissing a plea by traders who had sought its permission to sell crackers for a few days before Diwali last year. The ban was an experiment to examine its effect on the pollution level in Delhi.
