Greening With A Baton: Man Arrested By Police In Delhi After Children Caught Burning Crackers

A true testament to their commitment to reducing air pollution, the Delhi Police have arrested a man on Wednesday (31 October) whose children were caught burning firecrackers in the Ghazipur area.

The arrest is made in the aftermath of Supreme Court’s orders banning the use of firecrackers with the exception of two hours on the day of Diwali.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had earlier decided to implement an emergency action plan. If the air quality falls between moderate to poor categories, measures like halting garbage burning in landfills and other places, enforcing pollution control rules .

The Supreme Court, on 23 October, allowed the sale of fireworks but with stringent rules ahead of the highly anticipated ‘festival of lights’ Diwali. The ban was also imposed an experiment to examine the levels of pollution especially in states prone to high toxic pollution levels like Delhi. The apex court allowed the use of firecrackers only from 8 pm -10 pm in the capital.

The Supreme Court order aims to provide some respite to Delhi residents who are struggling with high levels of air pollution, at the same time, inviting criticism from different sections for being a knee-jerk response to a complicated problem and the ban being based on flimsy scientific evidence.

The ban also interferes with Diwali celebrations, wherein bursting of firecrackers has been the cultural norm.

Also read: SC’s Time Limit For Firecrackers: What Delhi’s Experience Teaches Us