Kolkata Police on Thursday issued a notification restricting the use of firecrackers on Kali Puja and Diwali this year to a duration of two hours — between 8pm and 10pm on October 20.
For Chhath Puja, firecrackers can be burst between 6am and 8am on October 28.
The order, signed by commissioner of police Manoj Kumar Verma, has been issued “in compliance with the order of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India… along with order of the Hon'ble High Court, Calcutta… and Orders of West Bengal Pollution Control Board.”
According to the notification, only authorised green firecrackers will be allowed to be displayed or discharged within the specified period.
Verma, acting as executive magistrate for the metropolitan area of Kolkata and parts of South 24 Parganas under Kolkata Police jurisdiction, warned that “any person contravening this order shall be prosecuted as per existing law”.
He directed all officers-in-charge of police stations to remain vigilant to ensure compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, Calcutta High Court, and West Bengal Pollution Control Board.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police’s initiative to conduct noise-level checks on Diwali firecrackers slated for sale at official Baji Bazars fell through on Wednesday after none of the invited pollution-monitoring agencies turned up for the scheduled tests.
The police had invited the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) to participate in the sound-testing exercise at Tala Park, but officials from none of the three bodies showed up.
The official Baji Bazar for the sale of green firecrackers began at Shahid Minar Maidan on October 14 and will continue till October 20.