Bhubaneswar / Cuttack, Nov. 11: Police have asked residents in the capital to strictly follow the time and decibel limits set for bursting crackers on Diwali.

People can burst crackers till 10pm and this deadline may be extended by an hour. The sound limit is 125 decibels. Any violation will invite a penalty of Rs 500.

The police said people had been advised to stick to the guidelines and not cause problems for others. “We may tolerate it till 11pm, but after that, our patrolling teams will take action against violators. Police control room vans will patrol all areas and anyone found bursting crackers beyond the deadline will be taken to the police station,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Nitinjeet Singh.

All police stations, including the traffic police station at A.G. Square, have been provided with sound metres to ensure that Diwali revellers do not cross the 125-decibel limit.

“Provisions of the Orissa Fire Crackers and Loud Speaker (Regulation) Act will be enforced strictly this Diwali. People will be fined Rs 500 or more if high-decibel firecrackers are burst,” said Singh.

Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) officials said directives had been issued to the police by the board for strict implementation of laws to prevent noise pollution. “We have appealed to the people not to burst crackers that are too noisy because these harm children and elderly persons, besides causing serious discomfort to the sick,” said B.N. Bhol, an OSPCB official.

Bhol said they had been trying to create awareness among people about the kind of crackers they should burst. “We will monitor the air and noise quality on the day of the festival,” the official said.

The cops said they had been trying to ensure that shopkeepers did not sell high-decibel firecrackers.

However, some shopkeepers are still selling them. “Since the police are a bit lenient this year, we have stocked some loud crackers to cater to the needs of our customers,” said a man, who has been selling crackers at Unit-I market for the past five years.

Fire officials said that while granting fire licences to shopkeepers, they had issued instructions to keep sand-filled buckets, water and fire extinguishers with them. Besides, the shopkeepers had been advised to ensure that there were no electricity wires nearby.

Apart from the police and fire officials, shopkeepers have to take permission from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, the general administration department and the electricity department for setting up the shops and using electricity.

The city police have granted licences to around 600 applicants to set up temporary shops for selling crackers. The DCP said the licence holders had been instructed to follow some safety measures.

“Their shops have to be made of asbestos and there should be a distance of at least five metres between the shops,” he said.

Capital Hospital authorities have taken steps so that they can immediately attend to patients who come with burn injuries.

People are happy with the steps taken by the police to check noise pollution. “We hope people will stick to the norms and enjoy Diwali,” said Jeeban Panda, a resident.

Stern action plan

In Cuttack, the police are contemplating stern action against those engaged in the illegal sale of firecrackers.

“It has come to our notice that a number of temporary kiosks selling firecrackers have come up. We have decided to launch a drive to put a check on such violation,” said deputy commissioner of police S. Praveen Kumar, adding that a squad would be assigned powers to seize firecrackers if there were violations.

Most of the illegal shops that do not follow any safety restrictions are doing brisk business. “A number of shops come up in congested areas and they do not keep fire extinguishers or follow fire safety norms,” said Sambhu Nath, a local resident.

Nandi Sahi, Choudhry Bazaar, Jholasahi, College Square and Dolmundai are the main areas where a number of firecracker shops come up ahead of Diwali every year.

The Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police usually issue temporary licences to traders for the sale of crackers during Diwali.

Senior officials said seven-day temporary licences had been issued to more than 200 traders last year while a similar number of shops were engaged in sale of firecrackers illegally.

This year, the police have so far has received over 300 applications. A senior official said temporary licences had been issued to 143 traders so far and the number was likely to cross 200 by Monday.

Usually, a temporary licence for setting up kiosks for the sale of firecrackers is issued by the police after the applicant produces a no-objection certificate issued by the local fire station.

Local fire officers have been instructed to conduct a physical verification of various temporary shops and report to the police officials concerned for action if they notice any violation. An awareness drive involving schoolchildren, traders and local residents had been launched ahead of Diwali.

“We will set up temporary outposts and deploy fire units at three places, including Gaurishankar Park and Madhupatna,” said Sethi.