Weeks ahead of Dussehra and Diwali, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday lifted the blanket ban on firecrackers "for the time being". The court called the complete ban an "extreme" move. The decision, however, might be reviewed after Diwali, depending upon the quality of the ambient air, the court observed.

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"The suspension of permanent licences, as directed by the order dated November 11, 2016, is lifted for the time being. This might require a review after Diwali. It is, however, made explicit that the sale of fireworks by permanent licensees must conform to the directions given above and must be fully in compliance with the Explosives Rules," the Bench of Justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta stated.

But, the court banned the entry of any new stock of fireworks in the Delhi-NCR region, observing that the existing stock, nearly 50 lakh kg, "is far more than enough". "The permanent licensees are at liberty to exhaust their existing stock in Delhi and NCR and, if that is not possible, take measures to transport the stock outside Delhi and NCR," the court stated.

It also capped the limit for temporary licenses to 500. The licences can be issued by the Delhi Police.

While lifting the suspension on permanent licences already granted, the SC put the licensees on notice for Dussehra and Diwali in 2018, stating that they will be permitted to possess and sell only 50 per cent of the quantity permitted in 2017 and that too will be substantially reduced over the next couple of years.

Adding a slew of measures to limit air and noise pollution, the court directed the police authorities and the District Magistrates concerned to ensure that fireworks were not burst in silence zones — areas within 100 m from hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health-care centres, educational institutions, courts, religious places, or any other area that may be declared as a silence zone by the authorities concerned.

The court further pulled up the state for its lethargy regarding taking any proactive steps. "This is disconcerting. It is high time that the governmental authorities realise that the cost of ill health (particularly among children) is far greater in psycho-social terms than in financial and economic terms. The adage that 'prevention is better than cure' is fully applicable in present circumstances," the court stated.

The first petition regarding the matter was filed in 1985 by MC Medta. Tuesday's order has come on the heels of a 2016 petition, filed on behalf of three toddlers. The petition had stated: "Our lungs have not yet fully developed and we cannot take further pollution through bursting of crackers."

Venture capitalist Anirudh Suri, who filed the latest petition, said: "My daughter, who was born shortly before Diwali, had trouble breathing. The smog and pollution was so bad that the doctor actually advised us to leave town."

Suri, his wife, and their three-week-old baby then left Delhi shortly before Diwali last year. The ban on firecrackers had thus come as a huge relief to the family, as Suri had to commute for over two hours, one way, every day, to and from western Uttar Pradesh.