Pune police have imposed tighter rules on firecracker sales and use during Diwali, banning laris and string-wrapped crackers marketed as atom bombs, restricting sound-emitting fireworks between 10pm and 6am, and prohibiting firecracker use on public roads. The directions were issued on Friday by Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration) Sanjay Patil.
Under the order, firecrackers joined together in long strings and designed to explode one after another cannot be sold, possessed or burst in the city. The restriction also covers firecrackers wrapped in strings and sold as ‘atom bombs’. The police order applies both to the possession and use of the specified products, placing responsibility on sellers and residents during the festival period.
Night-time restrictions will apply from 10pm to 6am. During these hours, residents may use only crackers that produce light without loud sound. The order does not prohibit all fireworks during the night window, but specifically bars sound-emitting crackers and permits only light-producing varieties.
The police have also barred residents from setting off firecrackers on public roads. The restriction regulates where fireworks may be used during Diwali and affects a common form of street-level celebration in residential areas. The order therefore covers both the type of cracker that can be used and the public spaces in which fireworks can be burst.
The directions also establish a fixed operating window for temporary firecracker vendors. Sellers operating under temporary firecracker licences may conduct business from November 6 to December 5, 2026. After this period ends, any remaining inventory must be handed back to traders holding permanent licences authorising them to store and sell firecrackers.
The order places temporary sales within a defined period while continuing to regulate the storage and sale of leftover stock through permanently licensed traders. Vendors and residents will have to comply with the restrictions during the prescribed festival season. The Pune police order does not specify in the supplied report the penalties for violations or the locations where temporary vendors will be permitted to operate.
