The Supreme Court today asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to launch an investigation against six firecracker companies in Tamil Nadu, to whether these companies are still using banned chemicals like Barium Nitrate.
Gopal Sankanarayanan, the counsel for the petition has said that chemicals containing firecrackers are still being sold in packets saying ‘green cracker’.
The bench had earlier said that even though it would be necessary for the manufacturing units to manufacture fire crackers in accordance with the standards prescribed by new compositions recommended by NEERI and Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization (PESO), there is no clear picture about how the quality control of the fireworks which are manufactured by various units will be enforced.
The counsel for the firecracker manufacturers has said that the manufacturers will create a fund and set up a quality control unit in each factory. Those units will be supervised by an official of Fireworks Research & Development Centre, Sivakasi, of PESO.
The court had however directed the parties to sit jointly and submit a statement about the procedure by which such quality testing of the composition and characteristics of the fireworks will be ensured and the official supervision of such quality control units will be done, within a period of fifteen days.
The bench, headed by Justices Surya Kant and B.R Gavai has directed the CBI, Chennai, to make an enquiry as to whether the respondents have violated the orders of this court by using chemicals which were banned by this court.
The Court posted the matter for further hearing after 6 weeks.