- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Sun, 19 Oct 2025 03:45 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Diwali 2025: With Diwali just a day away, Delhi’s air quality continues to decline, registering a “poor” rating for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday. Earlier, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on green firecrackers. But the apex body set a series of guidelines that must be followed during the sale and use of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily report, Saturday’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 268, marking a continued decline from 254 and 245 recorded on the two preceding days.
Meanwhile, projections from the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) indicate that air quality could worsen further, potentially reaching the “severe” category by Tuesday.
With these rising pollution levels, here are some important FAQs that should be followed both by the people who are using these firecrackers and those who are selling them.
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Here Are FAQs On The Supreme Court Verdict On Green Crackers
- Only crackers made by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) have been approved by the Supreme Court to be sold and used in the Delhi NCR region.
- All approved firecrackers need to contain proper QR codes for identification. No ‘ladi’ firecracker has been approved by the Court.
- The Supreme Court has designated specific time periods from October 18 to 20 for bursting of crackers. In the morning, the time is from 6 AM to 7 AM while in the evening the time is 8 PM to 10 PM.
- Authorities have granted 168 temporary licenses for the retail sale of NEERI-approved green firecrackers at designated spots throughout the city, valid until Saturday.
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- The Delhi Police have been directed to process temporary firecracker sale permits with a 48-hour window to ensure the timely availability of these firecrackers. Post-Diwali, vendors will have two days to either safely discard or remove unused inventory before the previous restrictions in place are reinstated.
- Shops that fail to comply with the rules will face stringent penalties and permanent closure of shops.
- Patrolling teams from Delhi will be assigned to keep a watch that only NEERI and PESO-approved crackers are bursted by the public.