The Bombay High Court directed a total ban on bursting firecrackers on public streets and roads during festivals, citing concerns over rising noise and air pollution.
The court also ordered strict enforcement in silence zones near hospitals, schools, courts and government offices, along with public awareness campaigns and dedicated complaint mechanisms.
The directions came amid worsening air quality in Maharashtra, with AQI levels reportedly reaching 425 in parts of Mumbai even before Diwali.
In Punjab, the state government told NGT that the lack of suitable land had prevented the establishment of a common effluent treatment plant for dyeing and textile units in Ludhiana's Industrial Area-A.
The Bombay High Court issued a series of directions to curb noise and air pollution, particularly during festivals.
Suo motu proceedings were initiated over the unregulated use of music systems with amplifiers, accompanied by the bursting of firecrackers on public streets during festivals.
On October 15, 2026, the High Court stated that there could be “no distinction between different festivities throughout the year, during which issues of noise and air pollution continue to arise and require regulation by the authoritie”.
The court expressed concern over the environmental pollution caused by bursting firecrackers. Several major cities in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli, experienced haze and smog during the post-monsoon season. The air quality index (AQI) reached 425 in some parts of Mumbai, even before Diwali.
The bench comprising Justices G S Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale directed that there should be a ‘total ban’ on bursting firecrackers during festivities on public streets and roads.
The authorities were directed to take all necessary measures to implement the order and prevent air and noise pollution caused by firecrackers.
The court also directed that firecrackers must not be burst in silence zones, including areas around hospitals, government offices, courts and schools.
Municipal corporations and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board were directed to jointly issue public notices through newspapers, electronic media, social media and other channels, informing citizens that bursting firecrackers in public places, including streets, lanes and footpaths, is not permitted.
The notices should also inform citizens about the harmful and toxic effects of firecrackers and appeal to them to refrain from bursting crackers that generate noise, smoke and air pollution, the order stated.
The Maharashtra government, municipal corporations and the State Pollution Control Board must also establish and implement mechanisms to raise awareness about the harmful effects of firecrackers.
These should include awareness programmes in schools, public announcements through electronic and social media, and messages displayed on buses, at bus stops, in trains and at other appropriate locations well before festivals.
Citizens should also be encouraged to use green crackers that generate lower levels of noise and air pollution, and to adhere to the prescribed time limits for bursting firecrackers under the applicable rules and regulations.
Municipal corporations, the Pollution Control Board and the police department were directed to establish a complaint mechanism, including dedicated telephone numbers and ward-wise email addresses.
The District Collector, Municipal Commissioner and Commissioner of Police should appoint nodal officers to coordinate enforcement. Their names and contact details should be publicised so that citizens can register complaints about air and noise pollution caused by firecrackers.
The Chief Secretary was directed to nominate a Principal Secretary to hold meetings and coordinate action among the various authorities.
The authorities were also directed to equip field staff with decibel meters and other devices to measure noise and air pollution.
The respective nodal officers must address complaints without delay, and prompt action should be taken against those violating the applicable rules and regulations, the court added.
A common effluent treatment plant (CETP) cannot be established for dyeing and textile units in Industrial Area-A and other scattered industrial units in Ludhiana, Punjab, because suitable land is unavailable.
This was stated in a report filed by the Deputy Secretary, Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Punjab, on October 15, 2026, in a matter concerning pollution in Buddha Nallah in Ludhiana.
The report stated that three CETPs, with a combined capacity of 105 million litres per day, had been installed in Ludhiana by a special purpose vehicle to treat wastewater generated by dyeing industries.
However, the units in Industrial Area-A could not be connected to the three existing CETPs because doing so was not feasible.
The report further stated that associations representing the industrial units had been unable to identify suitable land for establishing a separate CETP for their member units.