Crackers can only be burst between 8pm and 10pm on October 20, the night of Diwali and Kali Puja, police announced in a notification issued on Friday.
The order, signed by Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma, states: “Authorised green firecrackers can be displayed/discharged during the ensuing Kali Puja and Deepawali festivals on 20.10.2025 from 8pm till 10pm only.”
A similar two-hour restriction will apply for the Chhath festival on October 28, when only green crackers may be burst between 6am and 8am, the notification added.
Despite these restrictions, several violations have been reported in the lead-up to Diwali. On Thursday and Friday, noise-emitting crackers were heard in many areas. Even on Friday afternoon, children were seen lighting fireworks along EM Bypass.
The police have stepped up efforts to enforce the rules. Senior officers said the two-hour window has remained unchanged since last year, but this time the commissioner has specifically directed officers-in-charge of all police stations to be alert to violations.
“The officers-in-charge of the concerned police stations should be vigilant so that orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta and West Bengal Pollution Control Board are duly complied with,” the notification states.
In 2019, Calcutta High Court had issued directives, in line with a Supreme Court order, which partially restricted the use of firecrackers. The guidelines allowed only green crackers between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali and a few other festivals. The police notification came a day after a vacation bench of the high court, led by Justice Biswajit Basu, directed the state government to report within three weeks on the steps it had taken to implement these guidelines.
To ensure compliance, Kolkata Police have deployed officers from all 91 police stations across its 10 divisions to coordinate with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), senior officers at the police headquarters, Lalbazar, said. Officers have been instructed to visit housing complexes, collect contact details of local representatives, and inform them of the legal consequences of violating cracker rules.
“Specific cases will be drawn up under the Explosives Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” a senior officer said. Violators could face up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of ₹2,500, or both.
Last year, more than 600 people were arrested during Kali Puja and Diwali for illegal firecracker use, disorderly conduct, and gambling.
This time, divisional deputy commissioners and assistant police commissioners have been directed to conduct surprise raids and detect unauthorised cracker stockpiles. Reports of banned firecrackers being used in Maniktala, Beleghata, Phoolbagan, Kasba, and Behala have been pouring in over the past few days.
Plainclothes officers are being sent into these neighbourhoods to investigate, the police said.
