Sixteen people were arrested from housing complexes in Lake Town, Bangur and Rajarhat on the northeastern fringes of Kolkata for bursting banned firecrackers on rooftops on Diwali, police said on Friday.
An officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said they had identified the areas from where most complaints of noise norm violation had been received on Diwali and Kali Puja in previous years.
“The pockets were in Lake Town, Baguiati and Rajarhat, and near the airport, among other places,” the officer said.
Another senior officer of the commissionerate said they had deployed plainclothesmen as well as civic police volunteers in the violation-prone areas. Multiple radio flying squads were out on the roads to enforce the ban on traditional fireworks.
“We maintained surveillance throughout the night. Senior officers of the commissionerate were out on patrol, too. In total, 16 people were arrested from various multistoreyed buildings and housing complexes for bursting banned firecrackers on rooftops. Many had locked the gates while bursting crackers,” said the officer.
Another officer said although they had held several meetings with representatives of nearly all major housing complexes, there were a few that did not comply.
“Many of those who were arrested tried to convince us that they were bursting only green crackers. A few were apologetic and said they had burst crackers at the insistence of children in the family,” the officer added.
A New Town resident said although several police teams were out on patrol, crackers were lit rampantly at a big housing complex in Action Area III.
Housing complexes in other parts of Kolkata, including those known to be traditional hotspots for cracker norm violation, had a quieter Diwali this year.
At Urbana, off Ruby Hospital, the residents organised a laser show and used only green fireworks that were checked by the cops.
The residents’ welfare association of Upohar the Condoville, off EM Bypass, had locked all rooftops on Diwali evening. “We will keep the rooftops locked every evening till Chhath Puja to ensure no one bursts crackers there,” said a resident of the complex.
South City residents, too, had a quieter Diwali.
In New Town, Elita Garden Vista, Eastern High, Rosedale Garden, Uniworld City and other complexes used lights and earthen diyas to decorate their common areas and usher in Diwali.
