Diwali 2022: Firecrackers banned in Delhi; restrictions in other states | check guidelines in your city

Diwali 2022: The Delhi government has re-imposed a complete ban on the production, sale and use of all types of firecrackers till January 1, including on Diwali, a practice it has been following for the last two years.

The Supreme Court also turned down a plea by BJP leader Manoj Tiwari seeking an urgent hearing on a petition challenging the blanket ban on firecrackers in Delhi. A bench headed by Justice M.R. Shah said let people breathe clean air, adding that there were other ways to celebrate.

The plea submitted that this harassment will not only violate freedom of expression and employment (Article 19), the Right to life (Article 21) of people at large but will also infringe freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion of people at large (Article 25). The plea sought a direction to all respondents to issue fresh guidelines in respect to selling, purchasing or bursting permissible fire-crackers.

Restrictions on firecrackers 

Delhi 

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said bursting of firecrackers on Diwali in Delhi will attract jail term up to six months and a fine of Rs 200. He said production, storage and sale of firecrackers in the capital will be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and three years in jail under Section 9B of the Explosives Act.

A total of 408 teams have been set up to implement the ban. The Delhi Police has set up 210 teams under assistant commissioners of police, while the Revenue Department has set up 165 teams and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has constituted 33 teams.

Punjab 

The Punjab government has said a window of two hours will be given for bursting firecrackers on Diwali on October 24. On Diwali, firecrackers will be allowed to burst in the state for two hours from 8 pm to 10 pm. The manufacture, stock, distribution, sale and use of joined fire crackers is hereby banned in the state and only the green crackers (those crackers that do not use barium salts or compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury arsenic, strontium, chromate) would be allowed for sale, statement said.

Haryana 

This Diwali, only green crackers are allowed in the state. A complete ban has been imposed on the manufacturing, sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers except for green crackers. 

West Bengal

The West Bengal government has issued a notification, in accordance with an order of the Calcutta High Court, asking district magistrates to grant licences for only green fireworks during the upcoming festivals. The notification specified that green crackers can be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm during Kali Puja and Diwali, from 6 am to 8 am on the occasion of Chhat Puja and from 11:55 pm to 12:30 am during Christmas and New Year's eve.

Uttar Pradesh 

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asked the officials to encourage sale and purchase of environment-friendly firecrackers during Diwali celebrations and to ensure that fireworks shops are located away from populated area. Adityanath directed the officers to ensure that firecracker shops and godowns are away from (densely) populated areas. The purchase and sale of highly sensitive firecrackers from the point of view of environment and public health should be discouraged, he added.