Even before its implementation, environment experts have cast shadow of doubt over the efficacy of the Supreme Court verdict regarding firecrackers. The apex court has issued stringent guidelines over bursting crackers, their sale and composition among others for Diwali which is fortnight away to curtail rising pollution levels in the city that spike phenomenally post Diwali.

The biggest contention environmentalists have is about the implementation of directives. "The orders may be landmark but it is dubious whether they will be executed in the true spirit. In a city that has population of around 1.5 crore people, bringing such rules into force is not an easy task. The court should have fixed responsibility and held authorities accountable if there is no improvement," says Paromita Chakravarty, an environmentalist. Subir Dey, another expert referred to last year's numbers when SC had banned sale of crackers, to reason the bare minimum impact it will have on the capital's rapidly rising pollution levels.

"The data available shows less positive impact in air quality in the days after last year's Diwali as pollution during this time of the year is an amalgamation of various factors such as weather, wind speed, stubble burning, vehicular emissions etc. While we welcome the verdict, bursting same amount of firecrackers in given two hours will only increase the concentration of pollutants. If the court is serious about pollution, it should completely ban crackers," he said.

D Saha, an environmental scientist who previously worked with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), welcomed the judgement and said the authorities would now have to ensure that the norms are adhered to more strictly, especially at the manufacturing level. "As a society, we have been using firecrackers to celebrate occasions, from festivals to landmark days and weddings to grand events, but there is a much bigger cost involved, the damage the bursting causes to the environment and of course the health hazards. And, so we must behave more responsibly," he said.

Gufran Beig of Centre-run System of the Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said use of 'green firecrackers' and restriction on timing of the use are good steps. When asked what a 'green firecracker' is, he said, "Any such item which produces minimal toxicity and minimal fumes can be termed as a green firecracker."

Lung surgeon at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), Arvind Kumar, hailed the court's verdict terming it as a "spectacular decision". "Lungs are the worst affected from their fumes, besides injuries they can cause to eyes and eardrums," he said. "Many current generation firecrackers have large levels of heavy metal in them which pose serious threat to health. There has been a study which shows that the exposure to the person bursting the firecrackers is also extremely high, and therefore we need to behave more responsibly as a society."

— Agency inputs