New Delhi: The Supreme Court has allowed the sale and bursting of green crackers in the Delhi-NCR region for the festival of Diwali.

A bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, accepting the joint plea of the Central Government and the Delhi Government, relaxed the ban on green crackers.

The Supreme Court has directed the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Boards of the NCR to monitor the pollution levels during Diwali.

As an interim measure, we will allow bursting of crackers from October 18 to 21, the Supreme Court bench said.

Firecrackers are smuggled into the Delhi-NCR region. They cause more harm than green crackers, the CJI said while reading out the operative part of the order.

The Chief Justice said that we should take a balanced approach and allow bursting of firecrackers in moderation without compromising the environment.

Regular checks will be conducted by patrol teams on firecracker manufacturers. Their QR codes will be uploaded on websites, the order said.

No firecrackers from outside Delhi-NCR should be sold here. It has warned that if the rules are found to be violated, the licenses of the vendors will be cancelled. A detailed order is awaited.

On October 10, the Supreme Court had reserved its orders on the petitions filed seeking permission to manufacture and sell green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the NCR states and the Centre, urged the Supreme Court to allow bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR without any restrictions on timing during the festivals of Diwali, Guru Purab and Christmas.