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The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) states to take a final call on prohibiting the use of firecrackers throughout the year.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih asked the Delhi government and other NCR states - Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan - to place their decisions on record before the apex court. The bench said that a ban is required not only to curb air pollution but noise pollution as well. It noted that the issue regarding the ban on the use of firecrackers in NCR states is yet to be addressed. "We direct the concerned state governments to place their decisions regarding a complete ban on the use of firecrackers throughout the year," said the bench. The apex court added that when it refers to a ban on the use of firecrackers, it will also include a ban on the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of them. The top court was hearing the case relating to air pollution in the national capital. In order to curb air pollution, it also suggested that government departments should start using electric vehicles. The top court also ordered that its earlier order on the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue until further orders and also directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CQAM) to proceed with the implementation of the modified measures to improve air quality in Delhi. (ANI)
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