Haryana Enforces Firecracker Ban in NCR Districts Only Green Crackers Elsewhere Ahead of Diwali

With Diwali approaching, Haryana has ordered strict enforcement of firecracker rules across the state, drawing a clear line between its National Capital Region districts and the rest of the state. In the districts that fall in the NCR, there is a complete ban on all kinds of firecrackers, while in non-NCR districts only green crackers are permitted. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board has asked district administrations in non-NCR districts to enforce the order in letter and spirit, and e-commerce platforms have been barred from accepting online orders or completing sales in the banned districts.

In the NCR districts, the ban covers the manufacture, storage, sale — including delivery through online platforms — and bursting of all firecrackers throughout the year. Green crackers are not exempted there. The direction rests on instructions issued by the state Environment and Climate Change Department on 28 February 2025 under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, and follows the Supreme Court’s direction of 17 January 2025 in the MC Mehta case, which asked Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to impose a perpetual ban similar to Delhi’s. The board’s letter of 27 October, addressed to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), the Director General of Police, Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police and its regional officers, forwarded the Environment, Forest and Wildlife Department’s order and pressed for full enforcement.

In districts outside the NCR, the rules are narrower but still strict. The manufacture, sale and use of joined crackers, known as series crackers or laris, are banned, along with all firecrackers other than green crackers. Even green crackers may be burst only within fixed hours: between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali and on festivals such as Gurpurab, and between 11.55 pm and 12.30 am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The restrictions reflect concern over the particles, toxins and harmful chemicals released by firecrackers, which raise PM2.5 and PM10 levels at a time of year when pollution in and around the NCR peaks, between October and January.

For residents, the message ahead of the festival is straightforward. In NCR districts, no firecracker of any kind may be bought, sold or burst, online or offline. Elsewhere in Haryana, only certified green crackers may be used, and only within the permitted evening window on Diwali. District authorities have been told to treat the enforcement as most urgent, so that the festival is celebrated without adding to the region’s seasonal air-quality burden.