Court curbs on crackers

DIWALI, we are reminded, is a festival of lights. Firecrackers joined the party centuries later. Soon they intermingled to such an extent that any move to curb their noise or the pollutant indices on Diwali was met with retorts about interference in religious activity, leading to a new justification for the mindless bursting of crackers by those endlessly resourceful. The naysayers have a point when they say the catalyst for the spike in pollution around Diwali is not firecrackers alone. The others are vehicular emissions, construction dust and crop stubble burning. The courts are occupied with all these aspects. Therefore why not a relook at the bursting of firecrackers?  

The mixed feelings about the Supreme Court ban for the NCR that the high court has expanded to the UT (Chandigarh), Punjab and Haryana are natural because the courts have not been consistent. Barely two years ago, the Supreme Court opposed curbs on firecrackers: “dangerous situation” if religious activities are curbed and the likelihood of “chaos” if it were to prescribe a time limit and designate public spaces. The sudden realisation about the harmful effects has also left firecracker traders in the lurch. Just like the ban on liquor outlets 500 metres from national highways, this order too fails to account for the crumpling of business plans. 

The 2015 aberration apart, the curb on firecrackers is part of a decade-long endeavour by the courts to minimise the inconvenience to fellow citizens. The first crackdown took place on Navratri celebrations in Maharashtra followed by a decibel limit on loudspeakers atop mosques in Kolkata. Hopefully the courts will also take a look at the celebrations during Shab-e-Barat. Like Diwali, the competitive cacophony of crackers has blighted the soul of this holy Muslim night of contemplation and reflection. There is valid scepticism about the enforcement of the orders. But they are not about eliminating firecrackers altogether from festivities but a means to rouse civic consciousness. After Diwali is over, we will know whether firecrackers actually increase pollution. The results should lead to standards for their manufacturing and segregating the ones that unreasonably increase pollution.