Illegal firecrackers in Kolkata have become the focus of renewed enforcement demands from resident welfare associations, which told police and state pollution control board officials that housing societies cannot be expected to control sales taking place openly across the city.
Representatives of 40 housing complexes raised the issue at a coordination meeting attended by police officers and Pollution Control Board officials on Saturday. The residents said they could circulate safety advisories and monitor compliance within their premises, but had little control over the source and legality of firecrackers sold in markets.
The RWAs also questioned whether purchasing firecrackers from designated Bazi Baazars was sufficient to ensure that the products were legal and safe. A South City resident said residents were repeatedly asked to follow firecracker norms, while illegal markets continued to operate. The resident asked whether it was also the responsibility of police and the PCB to prevent unauthorised sellers from operating in the first place.
The issue has particular significance for South City residents. During Kali Puja last year, Kolkata Police seized firecrackers from the South City complex and allegedly apprehended a group of residents for bursting illegal crackers. Residents said they had purchased the crackers from a Bazi Baazar.
A resident of Swarnamani complex said officials had told residents that only green crackers would be available in the market this year and had urged them to buy from Bazi Baazars. The assurance, however, did not resolve concerns about how residents could distinguish legal products from unauthorised ones when illegal markets remained accessible.
Housing societies said they were taking steps within their premises. A senior RWA member of Silver Spring complex said the association had circulated advisories and was attempting to ensure compliance with the applicable rules. The member added that an association could advise residents but could not fully control individual behaviour if illegal crackers continued to be freely available.
The Pollution Control Board also urged housing societies to prevent residents, especially children, from bursting banned crackers. PCB member secretary Ashok Pratap Singh said residents should remember that elderly people and those who were unwell could be inconvenienced if the rules were broken. He also warned against adding to environmental pollution through firecracker use.
Officials briefed the residents on the impact of firecracker emissions on air quality. According to an official cited at the meeting, air quality had already begun to deteriorate and emissions from crackers could worsen conditions, with accumulated pollutants remaining in the air for extended periods.
A representative of a Salt Lake housing complex questioned why enforcement attention was concentrated mainly around festivals. The representative referred to frequent bursting of firecrackers at Nicco Park and urged authorities to maintain vigilance throughout the year rather than limiting checks to Diwali and Kali Puja periods.
Several housing complexes have agreed to restrict access to terraces on Diwali night or deploy volunteers to monitor compliance with safety norms. The residents’ demand is that police and the PCB act against illegal sellers so that responsibility for controlling firecracker use is not placed solely on housing societies and individual residents.
