A sound test meant to measure the decibel levels of firecrackers has not been conducted this year, even as Bazi Bazars are set to open from Tuesday, prompting concerns that the authorities may have skipped the mandatory check.
In 2023, the state government raised the permissible noise limit for green crackers from 90 decibels to 125, measured at a distance of 4 metres from the point of bursting.
Environmental activists and scientists from the state pollution control board (PCB), speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is impossible to determine if a cracker meets the legal noise limit without a test. They warned that manufacturers of high-decibel crackers may exploit the absence of testing to circulate illegal products.
Organisers of Bazi Bazars told Metro that the sound tests were conducted at a ground near Taratala till last year. Crackers that passed the test were then cleared for sale. The tests were jointly conducted by Kolkata Police, the PCB, the National Environmental Engineering Research Insti-tute (NEERI), and others.
“No test has been held so far this year. Nor have we been informed of any test scheduled in the coming days. With the fairs set to begin Tuesday, there’s hardly any time left now,” said a member of the Burrabazar Fireworks Dealers Association, which is holding the fair at Shahid Minar ground.
An organiser of the Bazi Bazar at Tala Park also confirmed that no sound tests had been conducted so far.
This year, Bazi Bazars are being held at Shahid Minar ground, Tala Park, Behala Blind School ground, and Aguan Sangha at Kalikapur.
For many Calcuttans who prefer to follow the rules, Bazi Bazars are trusted venues for buying Diwali crackers, as they are held under the supervision of Kolkata Police and the PCB. Several buyers questioned on Monday how they could be sure the crackers were within permissible sound limits if no tests were conducted at all this year.
Meanwhile, unlicensed and illegal high-decibel crackers remain easily available across the city.
Biswajit Mukherjee, a special officer appointed by Calcutta High Court to monitor noise pollution, said the absence of tests could lead to indiscriminate bursting of illegal crackers. “The sound limits are routinely breached every year. Even the two-hour bursting window is violated, yet the police or PCB rarely act. Not conducting the tests this year is a major setback in the fight to control noise pollution,” said Mukherjee, also a former chief law officer of the state PCB.
Kalyan Rudra, chairperson of the PCB, said the board sends officials on request from the police. “We have trained the police to conduct tests independently. But we also send our officials when asked,” he said.
Calls and WhatsApp messages to two senior Kolkata Police officers went unanswered on Monday.