Green crackers are a technological fix to a governance problem. Critically evaluate this with reference to Delhi-NCR's air quality.

Green crackers were developed by CSIR-NEERI. They use less barium nitrate, mixed with additives [2]. The Supreme Court has now allowed them in Delhi-NCR for two days. It did so after finding that the State had "utterly failed" to enforce the fireworks curbs it had ordered since 2015 [1]. The statement is largely valid: the product lowers emissions, but it does not fix the failure to enforce.

Merits: what the technological fix achieves

• Less smoke per cracker: CSIR claims about a 30% cut in particulate matter compared with ordinary crackers [3].
• Balancing rights: Art. 25(1) protects religious practice but is subject to health, while Art. 21 includes a pollution-free environment [1]. Green crackers let the two coexist.
• Protecting jobs: the reduced-emission types SWAS, SAFAL and STAR were trial-produced by industry [2]. This lets cracker units re-tool instead of shutting down.
• Built-in tracing: CSIR's QR code helps tell green crackers apart from ordinary ones and fake products [3].

Limits: why governance remains the core problem

• Weak enforcement: the Court noted that pollution did not improve even after the complete ban was brought back [1]. A rule that is not enforced fails, whatever the product.
• Only a partial cure: barium nitrate is reduced, not removed [2], so most of the particulate matter remains. If people burst more crackers, the saving disappears.
• Checks happen at the wrong place: green and ordinary crackers look the same. The QR code [3] helps only if someone scans it. Certification of manufacturers [1] happens at the factory, not at the street stall.
• Split jurisdiction: NCR spans four states, each with its own police. Crackers from a weakly policed district can still reach Delhi.
• Other sources dominate: the ban did not improve the air [1]. This suggests vehicles, dust and stubble burning matter more than a few nights of crackers.

Verdict and way forward Green crackers are necessary damage control, but they are not enough on their own. They need to be paired with:

• PESO making stalls scan the QR code on every box before selling.
• CAQM adding cracker limits to the GRAP stages, so the same rules apply across NCR.
• NCAP action on pollution sources that last all year.
• CPCB publishing air-quality data from before and after each window.

Technology can lower the harm from each cracker, but clean air depends on people following the rules and on agencies working together. With strong enforcement through CAQM and NCAP, the two-day relaxation can protect both festival traditions and the Article 21 right to health, in line with SDG 3.9.