Green crackers or a green lie? What we found in Delhi's biggest firecracker market

The ground check found that some firecrackers sold at Sadar Bazar had QR codes, but those codes did not establish valid green certification. This matters because Delhi permitted only certified green crackers during the specified Diwali period, amid serious air-pollution concerns.

When India Today Digital scanned several boxes, the codes mainly showed manufacturer details such as names, addresses, telephone numbers and email IDs. They did not display key information such as the PESO licence number or NEERI Green Fireworks registration number. Much of the basic information was already printed on the packaging.

The market also openly sold traditional firecrackers. No police personnel or other authorities were visibly inspecting shops or products, even though sales occurred about 500 metres from Sadar Bazar police station. The findings raised concerns that QR codes could create an impression of compliance without verifiable certification.

A green firecracker is a firework that meets prescribed environmental standards, especially for reducing particulate emissions and noise pollution. Its defining difference is not simply a green label or a QR code. It must be tested and certified against specific performance criteria.

According to the article, a green cracker must reduce particulate matter emissions by at least 30% compared with a conventional cracker in the same category. Alternatively, it must cut particulate matter by at least 20% and gaseous emissions by at least 10%. Certification details should make those claims verifiable.

This distinction matters because a package can carry a QR code without proving that the product is certified. At Sadar Bazar, scanned codes largely returned ordinary manufacturer information. The article therefore presents certification as a checkable regulatory status, not merely a marketing impression.

The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, or PESO, regulates explosive safety, including fireworks, and issues licences to manufacturers. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, through its National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, tests and certifies green fireworks against environmental standards.

A valid certification QR code should contain the company name, product category, function, PESO licence number, NEERI Green Fireworks registration number and marketer’s details. These particulars allow buyers and enforcement agencies to check whether a product has the required credentials.

The Sadar Bazar check found a gap between that expectation and the information actually available. Several scanned codes returned only basic manufacturer details, including an address, telephone number and email ID. Those details were already printed on the boxes, so they did little to verify green certification.

The prescribed standard gives manufacturers two ways to qualify a firecracker as green. The first requires at least a 30% reduction in particulate matter emissions compared with a conventional cracker in the same category.

The alternative combines two smaller reductions. A product must lower particulate matter emissions by at least 20% and gaseous emissions by at least 10%. These thresholds are part of the criteria described by CSIR-NEERI for green fireworks.

The figures matter because a QR code should help verify whether a product has been tested and registered under these standards. At Sadar Bazar, several codes did not show the relevant PESO licence or NEERI registration details. That left customers unable to confirm whether the products actually met either emissions pathway.

For Diwali in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court permitted bursting only certified green firecrackers. The permission covered two days, reflecting concern over rising air pollution and the need to limit fireworks activity.

The court’s permission was not unrestricted. It was subject to strict timings and restrictions that varied by location. The article presents certification, timing and place as separate conditions, meaning a product could not be treated as permitted merely because it carried a green claim.

The ground check raised doubts about how those conditions were working in practice. Some QR codes failed to show mandatory certification information, while traditional crackers were reportedly sold openly. The article also found no police or other authorities visibly inspecting the market. That gap made compliance difficult for customers and raised questions about enforcement.

When certification cannot be reliably checked, customers and enforcement agencies cannot easily distinguish approved green crackers from conventional ones. That matters because the Supreme Court allowed only certified green fireworks in Delhi-NCR, partly because of rising air pollution.

At Sadar Bazar, several QR codes returned basic manufacturer information instead of PESO licence and NEERI registration details. Traditional firecrackers were also reportedly sold openly. Crowded shops made it practically impossible for customers buying several boxes to scan and assess every QR code before paying.

The article found no police or other authorities visibly checking shops, even near the Sadar Bazar police station. Without visible enforcement, questionable products may continue reaching buyers and the intended limits may be weakened. The immediate implication is uncertainty over compliance; stronger verification and inspection would be needed to establish whether sales meet the prescribed rules.

Particulate matter means tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. Gaseous emissions are pollutant gases released into the atmosphere. The article treats both as important because green-firework standards specifically seek to reduce them, along with noise pollution.

Fireworks can worsen urban air pollution by releasing particles and gases when they burn. In a dense city, many fireworks used close together can add emissions to the surrounding air. The article does not identify every chemical or describe detailed health effects, but it links fireworks with concerns over rising air pollution.

That is why the rules require measurable reductions compared with conventional crackers. Green crackers must cut particulate emissions by 30%, or achieve the alternative combination of 20% lower particulates and 10% lower gases. If certification is unreliable and enforcement is absent, the pollution-control purpose of those standards becomes harder to achieve.