The Bombay High Court has ordered municipal authorities and police to ensure that firecrackers are only burst between 7 and 10 p.m. till Diwali i.e., the 12th of November. Among other directions, the Court also directed strict implementation of the Mumbai air pollution mitigation plan.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Girish Kulkarni, currently presiding over a suo moto Public Interest Litigation regarding the city’s deteriorating air quality, issued a slew of directions to immediately address the pressing issue.

Apart from restricting firecrackers, the Court also ordered the temporary halt of the movement of construction debris to and from construction sites till Diwali. It added that on the next date i.e. Friday if the air quality is not reduced the court may consider banning construction material from going in and out of sites.

The HC also banned all construction activities for four days preceding Diwali.