Supreme Court suspended the licences of all firecracker sellers in Delhi and National Capital Region.
Hailing the Supreme Court's decision to suspended licences of firecracker sellers in Delhi, green bodies today said it is a "big victory" in the fight against air pollution as the chemical footprint of crackers is "deadly" and has a major impact on children.
Others, however, maintained that the implementation of a "systematic and comprehensive" regional action plan to reduce the pollution levels in a coordinated and time-bound manner is the "need of the hour".
"This decision is a big victory in the fight against air pollution in Delhi, especially during winters. The chemical footprint of firecrackers is deadly and has a major impact on children.
"Firecrackers contain carbon and sulphur which produce a range of gases when they burn. Firecrackers also contain chemical substances that are very harmful to our body like aluminium, perchlorate, antimony sulphide, arsenic compounds, mercury, cadmium compounds and others," Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said.
In a stern action to curb air pollution during the ongoing wedding season, the Supreme Court today suspended the licences of all firecracker sellers in Delhi and the National Capital Region with immediate effect till further orders, virtually banning their sale and purchase.
Noting that each one of the ingredients has adverse impacts of different parts of our body, CSE said while aluminium and antimony sulphide cause Alzheimer's disease, perchlorate (ammonium and potassium) causes lung cancer.
A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A K Sikri and S A Bobde also directed the Centre not to renew any such licences till further orders while directing Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to examine and submit its report in six months on the harmful effects caused by the materials used in the firecrackers.
"Implementation of a systematic and comprehensive Regional Action Plan to reduce the pollution levels in a coordinated and time-bound manner is the need of the hour and we should move towards that as soon as possible to come out of the health emergency and to safeguard public health," Sunil Dahiya of Greenpeace said.
The national capital had resembled a "gas chamber" as it had come under a thick cover of pollutant-laden smog of scary proportions, forcing the residents to inhale severe quality air days after Diwali when firecrackers were burnt.
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