Activists express concern over Supreme Court order on green firecrackers, traders complain about stock availability

Over the years, people in the state capital have openly ignored the total or partial ban on firecrackers. | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The Supreme Court’s decision on Monday (Nov 2, 2026) to allow green firecrackers on November 7 and 8 has raised concerns about its implementation, with environmental activists questioning how the restrictions can be enforced at such short notice and traders warning that the limited window leaves them with little time to stock up.

Over the years, people in the state capital have openly ignored the total or partial ban on firecrackers.

In 2019, when only green crackers were allowed and several months were given to prepare for its implementation, Delhi still saw the decision being openly ignored and many shops also running out of stock.

Later, the Delhi government went ahead with a complete ban, including green firecrackers, for a few months around Diwali, but this too was largely ignored.

Last year, the Supreme Court passed an order similar to this year’s, temporarily lifting the ban to allow green firecrackers to be set off for a fixed period of two days during Deepavali. But this ban was also openly flouted and the air became toxic, with many air quality monitoring stations in Delhi unable to record air pollution levels when they peaked.

“Unless there is a blanket ban on firecrackers, people will burst all kinds of firecrackers in the city. We have seen this over the years, including last year. Even after the ban was reintroduced after Deepavali last year, people in Delhi continued to burst firecrackers for weddings, concerts and everything else,” said Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist.

“There are no green firecrackers available in the market. Also, who and how will check on the ground what types of firecrackers people are bursting? The air will be toxic again after Deepavali,” she added.

Difficult to find, sell

Rajiv Kumar Jain, 68, a member of the Delhi Fireworks Traders Association, said traders welcomed the court order but feared that the short notice would leave them little time to procure sufficient supplies of green firecrackers.

“Our permanent licenses have been suspended and we need to renew them tomorrow. We can sell only on November 4, 5 and 6. We have only one day left to get firecrackers from manufacturers, which is very difficult,” said Mr. Jain.

“Last year too, we were only allowed to sell for three days, but we were allowed to sell on Chhoti and Badi Deepavali. However, this year we are not allowed to sell on either Chhoti or Badi Deepavali,” he added.

The ban on firecrackers was also politically contentious. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeatedly criticized the Aam Aadmi Party government then in power in Delhi over the restrictions. After coming to power last year, the BJP government approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to allow green firecrackers.

Published – 03 Nov 2026 04:30 IST