India's environmental court on Monday ordered a ban on firecrackers during the Hindu Festival of Light in cities battling hazardously poor air quality, citing a link between pollution and a coronavirus surge, AFP reported.
The court said the role of pollution in the COVID-19 infections meant that the ban was needed ahead of Diwali celebrations on Saturday.
It also said that pollution caused by fireworks was an "aggravating risk to lives and health."
A general ban in all cities with rising air pollution, which is the case in northern India every winter, should last until November 30, the court added.
The capital New Delhi and the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra and West Bengal have already halted or restricted the sale and use of firecrackers.
State authorities in the rest of the country are considering allowing one-hour windows on Saturday for setting off firecrackers.
The tribunal said the ban in Delhi must be absolute because of the pollution crisis and rising covid-19 cases.
Delhi on Sunday reported 7,750 coronavirus cases in a day, a record since the start of the pandemic with hospitals reporting that intensive care beds are running out.
India is the world's second most affected country after the United States, with 8.5 million registered cases and 127,000 deaths.
Firecracker makers immediately demanded that the government pay compensation for the ban. The southern district of Sivakasi, which supplies about 90% of India's firecrackers and employs more than 250,000 people, has been hit particularly hard by restrictions in recent years.
Factory owners say they have already lost 30% of their business this year because of the coronavirus.
