Only crackers with a sound level of 125 DB at a distance of four metres are eligible to get a green sticker. This time around you may also miss the anar and the cracker which bursts when thrown on the ground. Vendors have been forbidden from selling them.

The police's licensing branch has already held meetings with the various cracker trader associations. "The police are authorised to confiscate crackers that do not bear green stickers. We have sent a detailed circular defining procedures for granting licence," said DCP (licensing) Arun Kampani. The vendors will also have to follow the safety procedures mentioned in the Supreme Court guidelines besides the high court orders. The HC has permitted bursting of crackers from only 6pm to 10 pm.

The directive on the colour coding of crackers came from the Delhi government. "The idea cropped up last year. It was proposed that crackers be coded as green, orange or red depending on the noise levels. We have already written to the Delhi Police, suggesting that they consider this while issuing licences," revealed environment secretary Naini Jayaseelan.

If you think that the government is playing party-pooper, check this out. Tests conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board have found that 80 per cent crackers available in Delhi markets violate noise and air pollution norms. Eighty per cent of the crackers sold here come from 1Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu while the rest come from Uttar Pradesh. The Board has been carrying out the exercise for the past four years, and sending the report to the department of explosives (ministry of industries), which is responsible for issuing licences to cracker manufacturers.

Alarmingly, a study of the chemical composition of sparklers (phuljari) and anar by Toxics Link, a voluntary group, showed the presence of highly toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead. Cadmium absorption can damage the kidneys and cause anaemia. Lead can cause cancer of the lungs and kidneys, and even brain damage in children.