Residents of high-rise buildings in Kolkata to bear the brunt of Diwali firecracker pollution

Residents of high-rise buildings in Kolkata are in fear of a very noisy Diwali. In areas around Dhakuria Lake people are worried. Ever since the Laxmi Puja immersions there has been relentless bursting of sound crackers.
Apparently, calls to local police station have fallen on deaf ears.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 24 October 2016.

Similar is the situation in Salt Lake, Tollygunge, and a section of Ballygunge, Behala, Santoshpur and Sarsuna. Activists claim that at least 14 police station areas in the south, southeast and added areas are the worst affected.
Reports from police headquarters at Lalbazar also accept that "more ground action" will be required to make this Diwali sound free because the markets are flooded with illegal firecrackers which are cheaper than the ones that emit lights.
Police have indicated that the market names might have changed, but not the products. A few examples are - the popular Kalipatkas have been renamed Chutphuts and double-sound Dodomas are now Navarangs. Generators being passed off as flowerpots (Tubris) burst like chocolate bombs instead of releasing a fountain of light.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Senior police officers of Kolkata to maintain law and order in big budget Durga pujas

Based on the experience of last year when there was a near stampede in a the Deshapriya Park puja pandal where the biggest Durga idol was on display, the Kolkata Police have decided to depute senior level offices to maintain law and order in big budget Durga pujas in the city. There could be a joint commissioner manning a big budget Puja or, even, four joint CPs posted at four corners of a Puja pandal to control crowd.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 30 September 2016.

The Lalbazar top brass has asked all traffic guards to work in tandem with the local police. The traffic cops will primarily look after vehicle movement and, the local police will keep an eye on the pandal hoppers. The police must visit the venues or pandals in advance to get familiar with the topography of the area well before the actual deployment starts.
Police have also taken a decision of not putting up barricades on important carriageways like S P Mukherjee Road and C R Avenue till Chaturthi evening. Barricades will be allowed only from Chaturthi evening and the decorators can dump bamboo poles only from Sunday for the barricades.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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