The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has welcomed the Supreme Court’s conditional approval for bursting green crackers in Delhi during Diwali, but simultaneously warned the BJP government against risking another pollution crisis. Senior AAP leader and former Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the government must ensure strict compliance with the Court’s directives to protect Delhiites from rising air pollution.
The former Delhi Environment Minister reminded that in 2018, similar permission for green crackers was granted, but due to lax enforcement by the police, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) was compelled to impose a complete ban in 2020. “Now that Delhi has a four-engine BJP government, we expect it to strictly implement the Supreme Court’s orders on green crackers,” Gopal Rai asserted.
During a media interaction, senior AAP leader and former Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that every year during winter, the pollution levels in North India rise sharply, becoming a matter of concern for all. He stated that under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP government consistently worked to reduce Delhi’s pollution levels. “Whether it was implementing the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) or the orders of the Supreme Court, the AAP government took every possible step in collaboration with the people of Delhi,” he said.
Speaking on the Supreme Court’s recent decision to permit the use of green crackers in Delhi, Gopal Rai said, “The Supreme Court has allowed the bursting of green crackers in Delhi. In 2018, when the ban on traditional firecrackers was first introduced, the use of green crackers was also permitted. However, due to the Delhi Police’s negligence in properly enforcing the order, serious violations occurred, leading the NGT to impose a complete ban on green crackers in 2020.”
He added, “Now that the Supreme Court has once again allowed green crackers, we hope that the four-engine BJP government will ensure proper implementation of the Court’s directions in Delhi and work actively to protect Delhiites from pollution hazards.”
Expressing concern over the government’s inaction, Gopal Rai said, “It is unfortunate that half of October has already passed, yet the BJP government has neither prepared nor announced its Winter Action Plan. The Aam Aadmi Party hopes that the government will finally wake up and act proactively to free Delhi from the threat of pollution.”
