The ban on firecrackers in Delhi is not a new issue. As far back in 1961, concerns over pollution caused by crackers prompted a proposal for a ban, though the government of India did not approve it, according to official records preserved by the Delhi Archives Department.

The proposal, dating back to January 1961, originated from the Deputy Ganj Committee — one of the industrial market associations in Sadar Bazar, Delhi — which wrote to the chief commissioner of Delhi, complaining about ”noise pollution” caused by large-scale use of fireworks during festivals and other celebrations.

The letter was later forwarded from the office of the chief commissioner, who was the executive head of the national capital functioning under the government of India, to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Su

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