Green crackers yet to catch on in Delhi, banned ones yet to leave markets

At one such shop, a small, one-room corner store, an employee standing outside said: “You will find everything, but will have to wait two minutes. A pack of ladi will cost Rs 400, a large anar is for Rs 300.”

With police cracking down on sale of ‘non-green firecrackers’, such shop owners are cautious not to take many questions and engage only with customers who mean business.

There is no open display, just an order service. A man sitting behind the counter, who was attending to a customer buying clothes, later pulled out a packet of small-sized anar from below the counter. “These are for Rs 80, I have medium-sized ones for Rs 120,” he said, as his assistant brought a packet from the attic.

“You should consider yourself lucky to have found these, because they’re all banned now. The ‘green firecrackers’ supposed to substitute them are very expensive and do not have the same potency,” he said.

Sale of firecrackers in Delhi was initially banned by the Supreme Court in November 2016 after the national capital witnessed a severe episode of smog, described by the Centre for Science and Environment as the worst in 17 years.

In October 2018, the court ruled that only ‘green firecrackers’ having low emission and permissible sound limits were to be sold and used, and fixed time for fireworks between 8 pm and 10 pm had to be followed on Diwali.

No such ‘green firecrackers’ could be found at Sadar Bazar, though they were on sale at many shops near Jama Masjid. Among the new firecrackers available there were multicoloured anars and sparklers that have QR codes and green logos on their boxes. These are said to use less of chemicals and are low on emissions.

Traders in the area, however, said sale of the new firecrackers was yet to take off. Ankur, a trader, said, “People come thinking they will buy 10 items but we only have two-three types of green crackers on sale. When they see that, unka mann hat jata hai. We have been told we will get more crackers by October 15.”

Rinku, another trader, said, “On Dussehra, we used to get a lot of customers but we’re sitting empty today.”

Shopkeepers said they are selling firecrackers at a wholesale rate at present, but the price would increase closer to Diwali. A bundle of five packs of sparklers, with five in each pack, costs Rs 250, whereas a box of five anars cost Rs 300 for medium-sized ones and Rs 200 for smaller ones.

Temporary fireworks licences are granted by district DCPs during festive season. So far, police have received 97 applications.