You can’t buy a ‘green cracker’ this Diwali

Gurgaon: There are no ‘green crackers’ available anywhere and, if the Supreme Court’s order is enforced by police and the administration, none of the crackers that traders have stocked up can be burst this Diwali.
The Supreme Court’s direction that only ‘green’ and ‘improved’ crackers can be manufactured and sold by licence holders has all big distributors in the city and other parts of NCR confused because they don’t know whether they can sell their current stock or the terms state government will set for cracker sales.

TOI spoke to six big distributors in the Delhi-NCR. All of them said they had no idea what a ‘green cracker’ meant.

“If you want to buy low emission crackers, go to the UK. Like other distributors, we are selling firecrackers from the last year’s lot. These are the usual traditional firecrackers. The court’s decision might be applicable from next year,” said a distributor.

Officials of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), on the other hand, said the government must enforce the court order. “The court’s directions clearly say only reduced emission crackers can be burst this Diwali and other occasions. Moreover, selling and usage of ladi is not allowed. HSPCB will monitor the pollution situation,” said Jai Bhagwan, regional officer, HSPCB.

Experts said the court’s order would go in a long way to address the problem of pollution emitted through firecrackers. A senior official from Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) said, “Even though green crackers are yet to make their appearance in the market, they are an excellent alternative to traditional polluting firecrackers. Many countries are using such firecrackers for New Year’s celebrations, etc. The decision has provided an eco-friendly, cost-effective and safer option to the people.”

Residents are confused, too, about what crackers to buy for Diwali. “I don’t know what a green cracker is. Where are such firecrackers sold? We have been searching for low-emission firecrackers since Tuesday,” said Nidhi Kulkarni, a resident of Sector 40.

Another resident, Vaishali Rana Chandra, added, “This decision makes the situation more confusing as researchers are still looking for a proper formula of green crackers while distributors don’t have any guidelines or suppliers of such firecrackers.”

Jai Dhar Gupta, co-founder of My Right To Breathe (a citizens’ movement), said, “The SC has permitted ‘safer’ fireworks with zero to low emissions — this just tosses up another entrepreneurial opportunity. But, it is unrealistic to expect this will happen in a few weeks.”

About the impact of firecrackers on health, Gupta added, “The smoke from fireworks consists mainly of fine toxic dusts (PM2.5) that can easily enter the lungs. This represents a real threat to people with asthma or various chemical sensitivity.”

Kadipur pataka wholesale market, however, is abuzz with activities. More than 50 wholesalers, as the size of crowd indicated on Wednesday, are doing a brisk business already. Most of the customers coming to the market are from Delhi, where norms are norms pretty strict, said one of the shop owners, who did not wish to be named.

Even manufacturers in Sivakasi have not made any green crackers this year. K Mariappan of Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association said, “Green firecrackers means sound is low and emissions are less. The SC has brought about this decision but they have not provided any guidelines as to how less the emissions should be. How can we make green firecrackers in one week’s time?”