Supreme Court and ban on setting off firecrackers.
The Supreme Court has asked the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to clarify their stance on the year-round ban on firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR). A bench headed by Justice AS Oka said the issue of banning the use of firecrackers in the NCR state has not been considered.
The bench said it directed state governments to decide on their own to impose a complete ban on the use of firecrackers throughout the year.
The bench, including Justice AG Masih, said the ban was not only to curb air pollution but also to curb noise pollution. Currently, such restrictions apply only on Diwali and New Year’s Eve.
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The bench said the court will consider issuing orders prohibiting the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of firecrackers after the stand of the states is recorded.
Consider permanently banning firecrackers
The committee, which is hearing the issue of air pollution in Delhi and monitoring steps taken by state authorities in NCR to curb air pollution, had earlier said that no religion encourages activities that lead to pollution and the government has also been asked to consider implementing permanent pollution measures. Firecrackers are banned in the capital.
The bench asked the Council of Air Quality Management (CAQM) to implement Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Phase 2 restrictions in the national capital along with some GRAP III measures such as watering, use of machines to clean roads and access to internal pathways. The directive continues to ban buses.
The court gave these directions
The court also directed that the appointment of lawyers as court commissioners continue. Besides, it also ordered the NCR states to appoint nodal officers to facilitate the visit of court commissioners to various places where GRAP measures are being implemented.
A court today considered Delhi’s air pollution issue and recommended that government departments should start using electric vehicles.
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