The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to file a response to objections raised against the use of chemical components like barium nitrate and potassium nitrate in the formulation of ‘green crackers’.
A Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer acquiesced with a request made by advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing three toddlers who filed a writ petition against the toxic effect of firecrackers, that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests should examine the samples of green crackers that contain “conventional formulations” with barium nitrate and potassium nitrate as oxidisers.
Mr. Sankaranarayanan submitted that these two components are among the several toxic ingredients which the Supreme Court had red-flagged. Their usage in the improved/green crackers would be a violation of the Supreme Court orders against the use of noxious firecrackers.
On October 23 last year, the apex court had struck a balance between the interests of the firecracker industry and the right to public health by allowing licensed traders to manufacture and sell “green” and reduced-emission or “improved” crackers while banning those that are loud and toxic to man, animal and the environment.
The turn of events come even as the minutes of meeting among CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and fireworks manufacturers envisage the bulk production of green crackers to begin by March 30.
The minutes informed that a mutual agreement has been reached for manufacturers to submit product approval documents by March 7, 2019. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) could give the product approval for the improved formulation by March 21. Finally, bulk production of the green/improved fireworks could begin by March 30.
The CSIR-NEERI minutes of the meeting dated February 27 details the joint work undertaken so far with fireworks manufacturers for the “formulation and deployment/production of green crackers”.
The minutes said trial production of green cracker samples were developed and tested for performance efficiency.
“After joint work in various fire works manufacturing factories situated in and around Sivakasi, and after observation of materials, analysis of the manufacturing process and testing performance efficiency, it appears that improved and green fireworks reduce emission of pollutants PM 2.5 at least by 25 to 30 percent… It will be a win-win situation in the interest of all stakeholders in public interest,” the CSIR-NEERI report said.
It further said that “nearly 200 MoUs have been signed with fireworks manufacturers”.
On October 31 last year, the court had, on an application filed by Tamil Nadu, clarified that only green crackers could be manufactured henceforth across the country. This had meant that no new polluting crackers could be made in the cracker factories after the existing stock of them was exhausted.
