Despite ban, firecrackers burst in many parts of Delhi on Deepavali night

Despite the legal deterrent in place, people in many parts of the city started bursting crackers by dusk

A large number of high-decibel firecrackers thundered throughout Deepavali night on Monday as people in Delhi flouted the ban imposed on these by the city government.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai last week said bursting firecrackers in the national capital on Deepavali will attract a jail term of up to six months and a fine of ₹200.

Despite the legal deterrent in place, people in many parts of the city, including in south and northwest Delhi, started bursting crackers by dusk. High-intensity firecrackers could be heard going off on the ground or mid-air.

And, as the night progressed the intensity of firecrackers increased breaching permissible decibel limits, prompting some to wonder “if there was any ban at all”.

Bursting of firecrackers on Deepavali is an age-old tradition, but authorities in Delhi said the decision to restrict it was taken after considering environmental concerns and health hazards associated with it.

Delhi’s air quality turned “very poor” on Monday amid an increase in stubble burning, bursting of firecrackers and moderately unfavourable meteorological conditions which allowed the accumulation of pollutants.

However, the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 312 was still the second-best for Deepavali in seven years. The city recorded an AQI of 281 on Deepavali in 2018.