The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s G North Ward will install prominent banners at Shivaji Park warning visitors that the area is a designated silence zone where bursting firecrackers is prohibited, ahead of Diwali 2026. The move follows a Bombay High Court directive and comes after residents sought stricter action against recurring noise and air pollution during the festival.
A civic official confirmed that the new banners would be placed at the park, marking the first prominent public warning specifically mentioning the prohibition on firecrackers. Vaibhav Rege, secretary of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park ALMA, told Mid-Day that the park previously had only one old board near Gate 7 and that it did not mention firecrackers.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board said the Bombay High Court had restricted the bursting of regular firecrackers in public places, including roads, footpaths and open spaces. An MPCB spokesperson said the restrictions were stricter in silence zones, where no form of firecracker-related noise pollution is allowed, and added that the police would have to enforce the directive.
The G North Ward official confirmed that Shivaji Park is classified as a silence zone. Residents have repeatedly complained that large-scale firecracker bursting around the park during Diwali causes prolonged deterioration in air quality and high noise levels. According to residents quoted by Mid-Day, the activity has continued for as long as seven days from Dhanteras in previous years.
Residents submitted a petition to the Shivaji Park police station seeking stringent action against violations of the Bombay High Court’s firecracker guidelines. Their petition specifically asked the authorities to act against people who breach the court-mandated rules. Residents alleged that enforcement had been weakened by staff shortages and political pressure. Asked about the police plan for the festival, an official from the Shivaji Park police station said, “We are working on it.”
The civic warning follows the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s decision not to organise its annual Deepotsav event at Shivaji Park this year. MNS chief Raj Thackeray said the event was being cancelled because of drought-like conditions across Maharashtra. The annual celebration usually attracts visitors from Mumbai, Thane and other parts of the state and includes illuminations and fireworks.
Residents said the cancellation could provide temporary relief but may not prevent individuals from gathering at the park and bursting crackers independently. Renuka Pinto, who said her children and she have respiratory conditions, said the family leaves the city every year during Diwali because of worsening air quality. Other residents said senior citizens, children, pets and people with respiratory illnesses face difficulty coping with the noise and smoke.
The immediate test will be whether the new signage is accompanied by visible police enforcement during the festival. The BMC has confirmed the warning banners, while the police have yet to publicly detail the deployment or enforcement plan for Shivaji Park.
