Firecrackers flood Delhi markets weeks before Diwali despite curbs, ‘green’ labels raise questions

Firecrackers are being sold openly across Delhi weeks before Diwali, with vendors offering products carrying “green crackers”, “pollution-free” and “zero pollution” labels, while other varieties remain available through concealed stocks and nearby warehouses. The sales have raised questions about enforcement of environmental restrictions as the Capital’s air quality deteriorates ahead of the winter pollution season.

At Sadar Bazaar on Monday, 15-year-old Chirag spent ₹3,000 on 15 boxes of firecrackers after waiting around 20 minutes. His purchases included a box of 10 rockets for ₹350, four packs of spinners for ₹800 and two packs of fountain bombs for ₹450. He had visited one of the Capital’s largest firecracker markets with a friend, hoping to avoid the Diwali rush and find the best deals.

The ease with which teenagers could purchase firecrackers, including products not openly displayed, has brought the gap between environmental regulations and their implementation into focus.

Firecracker sales continue as Delhi awaits government notification

With more than two weeks remaining before Diwali, a visit to three major markets, Jama Masjid, Sadar Bazaar and Shakti Nagar, found firecrackers readily available despite the Delhi government yet to notify its decision on their sale and use.

Vendors displayed products marketed as environmentally friendly, while other varieties were offered on request, often from nearby warehouses or concealed stocks. Some sellers claimed that the products available at their stalls were suitable for children, while others acknowledged that certain varieties were not green crackers.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court declined to impose a blanket ban on firecrackers, permitting the use of new-generation green crackers while stressing the need to balance environmental concerns with public sentiment. The court also gave the Centre and expert bodies until October 15 to assess the impact of barium content in so-called green crackers on air quality. The matter is likely to be heard again on October 29.

Last year, after several years of a blanket ban, the Supreme Court permitted regulated sales between October 18 and 20. Firecrackers could be burst only on October 19 and 20, during specified morning and evening hours. However, the restrictions were widely violated, as previously reported.

The consequences of firecracker use were evident after Dussehra celebrations. Delhi's air quality index (AQI) rose from 179 at 4pm on Tuesday to 245 at the same time on Wednesday. Experts attributed much of the deterioration to widespread firecracker use during the festivities, which added to the city's existing pollution burden.

Green packaging does not guarantee certification

The difference between the claims printed on firecracker packaging and the ability to verify them was apparent at Jama Masjid. At least 10 carts lined the lane outside Gate No. 3, displaying products advertised as offering “pollution-free” celebrations.

HT purchased six boxes of firecrackers from the market, but only two carried QR codes. One code could not be scanned despite repeated attempts, while the other directed users to a PDF catalogue listing the products available.

QR codes are intended to help buyers establish whether a firecracker has been certified as a green cracker approved by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI).

However, neither sellers nor buyers appeared particularly concerned about checking compliance with the rules. Most shopkeepers refused digital payments or declined to provide receipts, making transactions more difficult to trace.

For younger customers, packaging appeared to be enough to establish whether a product was environmentally friendly. Gaurav, 13, who was shopping in Chandni Chowk with his mother and younger brother, pointed to a box featuring a green parrot and a “zero pollution” label.

“The colour of the packaging is also green. This means it will not impact the environment,” he said.

A green-coloured box or an environmental claim, however, is not proof of certification. When buyers cannot readily verify a product's credentials and enforcement is barely visible, such labels risk becoming marketing tools rather than meaningful safeguards.

A street vendor, who requested anonymity, said he had been selling firecrackers in the area for three weeks. “I am only selling small crackers for children; the bigger ones will be allowed a few days before Diwali,” he said.

Meanwhile, several established shops in the area remained shut. Some have been operating for four or five decades. The owner of Majestic Fireworks said the business typically remained closed for a month around Dussehra and Diwali, but customers were encouraged to buy firecrackers in advance and store them.

He handed HT his visiting card and suggested that the newspaper return after October 29.

Hidden inventories make enforcement difficult

At Sadar Bazaar, firecracker sellers were visible at intervals of around 100 metres. One vendor claimed he had been selling between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹3 lakh worth of firecrackers every day for the past 25 days.

A nearby shop that normally sells home decor had also started dealing in firecrackers. Its owner, Anish, said deliveries through porters were available for orders exceeding ₹10,000. He said that if a consignment was intercepted during delivery, responsibility would rest with the customer. Payments were collected in advance, while delivery charges were paid separately.

Anish said the market catered to festivals throughout the year, switching between Christmas decorations, Holi colours and Diwali firecrackers.

Purchases made by HT across the two markets found that sparklers were displayed openly, whereas rockets and spinners were generally kept out of sight. One vendor said larger products were not put on display because they were not green crackers, but could be obtained quickly from a warehouse about five minutes away.

At Shakti Nagar, where some shops have operated for decades, firecrackers were kept behind thick plastic sheets. Shopkeepers offered photographs of their products and said the stock could be shown to established customers.

The arrangements suggested that keeping certain varieties off shop counters did not necessarily mean they were unavailable for purchase.

Sunil Jain, president of the Delhi Fireworks Association, which has 150 members holding permanent licences, said firecrackers were being sold extensively without checks.

“We are licensed traders who have been in this business for generations, yet we are waiting for the court’s permission to sell. Meanwhile, traditional firecrackers from the Delhi-NCR region have already entered the city,” he said.

Jain warned that even if licensed traders were allowed to sell firecrackers subject to restrictions, distinguishing between traditional varieties and green crackers would be difficult. This, he said, could undermine any assessment of their environmental impact.

Scientists question the idea of pollution-free firecrackers

Dipankar Saha, former head of the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) air laboratory and one of the scientists involved in developing green crackers in 2018, said no firecracker could be considered green in terms of its environmental impact.

“No firecrackers are green, it’s a misnomer. Yes, it produces least possible emissions upon its burning. Again, the quality of emissions depends on types of burning, complete burning produces mostly carbon dioxide, water vapour, fine and semi-fine particulate matters. Fine particulates remain suspended for a longer time as compared to semi-fine particulates,” Saha said.

He explained that both types of particulate matter are transported by the wind, while their dispersion depends on wind speed and atmospheric moisture. Semi-fine particulates travel faster than microfine particulates, and the time particles remain in the atmosphere is known as retention time.

Saha said the presence of these pollutants could create respiratory problems for humans, choke the stomata of plants and contribute to haze in the atmosphere.

The concerns come as Delhi enters another period of deteriorating air quality. With firecrackers already available across major markets, the effectiveness of environmental restrictions will depend not only on the rules governing their sale and use, but also on whether products can be verified and unauthorised sales brought under control.