NEW DELHI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- A local court on Friday restricted bursting of firecrackers on Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Punjab and Haryana to three hours, officials said.
"The Punjab and Haryana high court today ordered that residents of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh city can burn crackers only for three hours from 6:30 p.m. (local time) to 9:30 p.m. on Diwali this year," an official said
The court on Thursday took suo moto cognizance of the deteriorating air quality in the states and sought information on the licences granted to traders under its jurisdiction.
The development comes days after India's Supreme Court banned the sale of firecrackers in the country's capital city and its outskirts until Oct. 31.
The top court on Friday refused to lift the ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi, saying it was "pained and sad" that a communal twist had been given to its order.
The court's refusal to relax the ban came in the wake of an appeal by traders seeking more time to sell the unsold fireworks stocks.
Every year, bursting of firecrackers around Diwali festival leaves air in and around Delhi thick, and pushes air quality to a dangerous "severe" level of rating.
The deadly smog chocks air, causing breathlessness and lung difficulties, besides badly affecting the visibility.
Last year officials said levels of Particulate Matter or PM 10, considered hazardous to health, rose to 999 micrograms per cubic metre, which was above the safe limit of 100.
In India, setting off fireworks on festivals is synonymous with celebrations and families spend lavishly to buy fire crackers and then set them off during marriages and Diwali night.
Delhi is considered to be the most polluted city in the world. Last year the city's high court described the capital as "gas chamber."
