Kolkata saw a marked reduction in firecracker-related violations on Tuesday evening after a noisy Monday night and early morning that led to 327 arrests, the seizure of more than 350 kg of firecrackers and intensified police deployment across the city.
The evening remained relatively quieter, with violations reported from only a few pockets as police monitored immersion processions along designated routes. More than 5,000 police personnel were deployed across immersion zones to maintain law and order, while disaster management teams were kept on standby.
The worst noise levels were recorded during Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday. Jadavpur registered 81.8 decibels at 9 pm on Monday, while Ballygunge recorded 67.8 decibels and Tangra 65 decibels. At 1 am on Tuesday, the readings were 54.9 decibels in Jadavpur, 54.3 decibels in Ballygunge and 53.5 decibels in Tangra.
The readings exceeded the respective nighttime limits by 40 decibels, according to the report. A former Pollution Control Board scientist said the increase represented a substantial noise burden, noting that a rise of 10 decibels represents a tenfold increase in sound intensity.
Police records showed that 74 of the 327 people arrested on Monday were held for bursting crackers outside permitted hours. Another 253 people were arrested for unruly behaviour and indecency connected with the festivities.
Between Monday and Tuesday evening, police also seized 46 litres of illicit liquor and registered five additional first information reports. Officers said the figures could rise further by midnight. Police sources maintained that the quantities of prohibited firecrackers and illicit liquor seized were substantially lower than last year’s recoveries, although no comparative figures were provided in the report.
The enforcement operation also covered road safety. Police booked 890 motorists on Monday, including 379 two-wheeler riders and 156 pillion riders for travelling without helmets. Another 116 motorists were booked for dangerous driving, while 100 cases involved driving under the influence of alcohol. The remaining 139 cases related to other traffic violations.
The pattern across the two days showed the city managing several overlapping pressures associated with festival activity: noise from firecrackers, crowd movement during immersion processions, alcohol-related offences and unsafe driving. The deployment of police and disaster management teams was concentrated around immersion zones and designated procession routes.
Police monitoring and enforcement continued through Tuesday evening, with officers indicating that arrest, seizure and traffic-enforcement figures would be updated after the night’s operations concluded.
