Bursting of firecrackers and violations continued through Friday till early Saturday across the city and Salt Lake, even a day after Diwali.
Calcutta police arrested 210 people for bursting firecrackers in various pockets of the city on Friday night.
There were traffic violations by two-wheeler riders and motorists, prompting traffic cops to prosecute 570 people on the roads across the city on Friday night. A majority of the violators were two-wheeler riders speeding and riding without helmets, police said.
Last year, there was a blanket ban on firecrackers on Diwali. This year, too, the Calcutta High Court had passed an order to ensure a blanket ban on firecrackers. However, the order was overruled by the Supreme Court that allowed the use of green fireworks between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali.
The police said there was no window on Friday to burst firecrackers. Bursting any type of fireworks or firecrackers other than between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali was illegal.
State pollution control board officials said they received 10 complaints of firecracker bursting from Jodhpur Park, Dhakuria, Kasba, Gariahat and pockets of Howrah.
“There were repeat complaints. We have been receiving complaints from Kasba and Narendrapur on Diwali and the day after. But complaints from Gariahat and Dhakuria were new additions on Friday,” said a PCB official.
A resident of Anandapur told Metro she had heard soundcrackers on Diwali after 10pm. But on Friday, the sounds had started much earlier in the evening, she said.
“Just because there was no specific time-frame for bursting firecrackers, some people had started bursting crackers from the early evening on Friday. But they should remember the court had allowed green fireworks only for two hours specifically on Diwali, not any other day,” she said.
Several residents of Kasba, Garfa, Rabindra Sarobar area, Narendrapur and Sonarpur said they heard soundcrackers on Friday evening.
Cops said there was deployment of police personnel across the city to stop and prevent firecracker bursting.
“We had adequate deployment on Friday also to ensure prosecution and arrest of people bursting firecrackers. We had continued to create awareness against the use of firecrackers even on Friday,” said an officer in Lalbazar.
Traditional firecracker bursting pockets like Behala, Ballygunge and Burrabazar were relatively quiet on Friday night.
Several people in Calcutta and Salt Lake said they heard firecrackers being burst on Saturday as well.
Bidhannagar police said there were multiple reports of firecrackers being burst on Friday night from areas like Baguihati and Lake Town.
