The Supreme Court yesterday banned the sale of firecrackers till November 1.
A ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi this year may not bring about the pollution free Diwali many residents are dreaming of. A day after the cracker ban from the Supreme Court, a section of rebellious Delhi'ites are going online to buy the yearly quota of noise and deadly fumes.
Dozens of firecrackers manufacturers are doing business online. Some are even offering discounts. Only one site mentions: "Due to Supreme Court's order crackers are ban in Delhi NCR" (sic). Another still says, "Delivery only in Delhi and NCR".
The ban on crackers has been hotly debated online, fuelled by author Chetan Bhagat's controversial tweets. In a series of posts, the author had questioned the ban. "I want to see people who fight to remove crackers for Diwali show the same passion in reforming other festivals full of blood and gore," one of his tweets read.
While he drew much criticism, Twitter also saw many comments that took on the ban.
The barrage of anti-cracker ban tweets even forced Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan to backtrack after expressing support for the ban. The minister got trolled for his tweet on "Green Diwali".
His party colleague Tejinder Singh Bagga, the Delhi BJP spokesperson, has announced his intention to distribute firecrackers worth Rs 50,000 among the children living in the slums of Harinagar. Mr Bagga said it would not be a violation of the court order, "because the court has only banned the sale of firecrackers, it has not put a ban on buying or bursting them."
The controversy started yesterday, when responding to a petition by three children regarding the noxious post-Diwali pollution, the Supreme Court banned the sale of firecrackers till November 1. The court, however, said those who had firecrackers can still burst them on October 19, when millions celebrate the festival of lights.