Up in smoke: Delhi flouts firecracker curbs as residents flag violations despite cops on ground

Residents and experts questioned enforcement, while police cited hundreds of cases but provided no citywide figures.

The Supreme Court had set a narrow two-hour window for bursting firecrackers on Diwali, permitted only certified “green” crackers, and made it clear that the restrictions would be strictly enforced. Yet, as the evening wore on, fireworks continued across Delhi well past the deadline, with several neighbourhoods reporting bursts until 3am.

The Supreme Court had set a narrow two-hour window for bursting firecrackers on Diwali night (Sakib Ali / HT)

The widespread violations, residents said, took place despite police personnel being deployed on the ground, raising questions about how effectively the restrictions were enforced.

The problem was not merely that people ignored the rules. Experts said allowing green crackers in the Capital also made enforcement more difficult, as once illegal conventional firecrackers reached consumers, it became virtually impossible for authorities to establish whether the crackers being burst were certified green varieties.

But the biggest concern was the apparent absence of effective enforcement on the ground.

Despite forming more than 250 special enforcement teams, holding multiple rounds of meetings with stakeholders and claiming to have stepped up surveillance, Delhi Police appeared unable to prevent widespread violations. Residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) across the city said firecrackers were burst well before and long after the permitted hours, with little intervention from authorities.

The Supreme Court had allowed the sale and bursting of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR for limited periods around Diwali, permitting their use between 6am and 7am and 8pm and 10pm on November 7 and 8. It had made clear that a complete ban on firecrackers would be restored from November 9. Yet, violations were reported on both days, with fireworks continuing well into Monday night.

Residents Report Late-Night Fireworks

RWAs across several neighbourhoods said they had circulated advisories through WhatsApp groups, urging residents to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali and minimise firecracker use. But the appeals appeared to have had little impact, with residents reporting explosions continuing until 2am-3am.

“Firecracker bursting was full-fledged until 11pm. While there was a slight decline in the intensity after 11pm, the sound of firecrackers could still be heard until 2am-3am. The police presence was there on the ground, but they weren’t stopping people from flouting rules,” said BS Vohra, president of the East Delhi RWA Federation.

In south Delhi’s CR Park, the situation was similar. Sangita Thukral, president of the M and P block RWA, said she repeatedly appealed to residents to stop bursting crackers, but few paid heed. “At around 10.40pm, I sent the first message to residents that it is time that they stop bursting crackers, and again at around 3am, another such reminder was sent, but hardly any heed was paid. The noise and smoke was so bad that the dogs were getting so aggressive,” she said.

Chitra Jain, president of the New Friends Colony-Ashoka Park RWA, said some residents eventually approached the police after failing to persuade neighbours to stop. “By and large, people had stopped bursting crackers after 10pm, but a few continued. Since there were no major complaints, we did not approach the police. However, the next morning, I learnt that a few residents had filed complaints against their neighbours,” she said.

Arvind Kaila, president of the Kailash Colony RWA, described the failure to enforce the Supreme Court’s directions as a “systematic failure”, blaming both the police and the Delhi government. “Not only the police but the Delhi government also failed. Given the limited manpower, it’s not possible for a beat police staff to run to 10 different locations at a time,” he said.

Police Cite Enforcement Drives and FIRs

HT contacted deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) across all 15 police districts, seeking explanations for the violations. Some cited enforcement drives and cases registered, while several others declined to comment or did not respond.

DCP (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said multiple enforcement teams had been deployed and that directions were enforced in coordination with the district administration. He added that violations were prevented in prohibited zones around hospitals, old-age homes and educational institutions.

DCP (west) Hareshwar V Swami said 62 FIRs had been registered in the district, while DCP (northwest) Akanksha Yadav said 38 cases had been registered and people caught violating the rules had been bound down.

DCP (central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said teams had acted against on-the-spot violations, while DCP (northeast) Rahul Alwal said police had also responded to public complaints about firecrackers being burst outside permitted hours and illegal sales.

The DCPs of southeast, southwest, east, outer, outer-north and north districts declined to comment, saying the police headquarters would issue an official statement. Calls and messages to the DCPs of south, New Delhi, Rohini and Shahdara districts went unanswered. The police headquarters did not issue a statement till the time of going to press.

Number of station that went dark

Experts Warn Green Crackers Still Pollute

Experts, meanwhile, cautioned that even certified green crackers were far from pollution-free and that allowing their use did little to address the larger problem of firecracker emissions.

Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at Envirocatalysts, said pollution indicators had begun showing the impact of firecrackers even before Diwali night. Sulphur dioxide (SO2), a key indicator of firecracker emissions, rose sharply on the night before Diwali.

“This year, the day before Diwali, we saw a sizeable load of fine particles on top of stubble smoke already trapped close to the ground. Sulphur dioxide, a tell-tale gas from crackers, rose by about 40% across the city that night, after staying flat on the nights before. There is no sign the allowed crackers burn any cleaner. Green crackers are meant to emit only about 30% less than conventional ones, and 30% less of a very large amount is still a very large amount. Calling a cracker ‘green’ does not clean the air,” he said.

Mukesh Khare of IIT Delhi said green crackers could theoretically help reduce peak pollution levels, particularly concentrations of gaseous pollutants and secondary aerosols. However, ensuring that only certified green crackers were sold and used remained a major challenge.

“Our distribution network is poor, with not enough outlets with green crackers. This allows conventional crackers to flood the markets and there are no checks and balances on-ground,” he said.

Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari, who has repeatedly approached Delhi Police over the bursting of illegal firecrackers during Diwali, said the lack of political and administrative will had rendered such restrictions largely meaningless.

“No one is checking whether these are green crackers, or conventional ones. Green crackers also pollute an overly saturated air in Delhi, at a time meteorological conditions are highly unfavourable,” she said.