People burst crackers on Diwali outside the two hour time period stipulated by the top court
As Delhi continues to grapple with rising air pollution, the air quality slipped to "very poor" category on Diwali night on Wednesday.
A thick haze engulfed the city as Delhiites continued to burst firecrackers long after the deadline set by the Supreme Court. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 302 at 11 pm, which fell in the very poor category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
The Supreme Court had allowed bursting of firecrackers from 8 pm to 10 pm only on Diwali and other festivals. It had also allowed manufacture and sale of only "green crackers", which have low light and sound emission and less harmful chemicals.
The situation was similar, if not worse, in the neighbouring areas of Delhi such as Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad, where crackers were burst as usual, raising question marks on the efficacy of the administration in enforcing the top court's ban.