West Bengal’s Environment Department is preparing joint police and departmental surveillance teams in Kolkata to enforce restrictions on banned firecrackers and permitted bursting hours during Kali Puja, according to The Statesman. However, the supplied report contains a material date inconsistency: it was published on October 30 but says Kali Puja will coincide with Diwali on October 8, leaving the timing of the enforcement plan requiring confirmation.
Environment and Pollution Control Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon was quoted as saying that surveillance would be intensified in areas where widespread violations were reported during the previous year. The report said police and Environment Department personnel would move across different parts of Kolkata during the festival night to identify violations and respond to complaints.
The permitted window for bursting firecrackers was reported as 8 pm to 10 pm on Kali Puja night. For Chhath Puja, the permitted period was reported as 6 am to 8 am. Firecrackers used outside the prescribed hours, as well as banned varieties used at any time, would invite legal action, officials were quoted as saying.
The enforcement plan places particular emphasis on locations that recorded large-scale violations in the previous year. The minister said the administration had identified such areas and would strengthen surveillance there. The report attributed the enforcement effort to a joint operation involving the police and the Environment Department, although it did not provide the number of teams, personnel or locations scheduled for deployment.
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board’s control room was reported to have been operationalised to receive complaints. The numbers supplied in the report were 033-222023057 and the toll-free number 1800-345-390. The minister was quoted as urging residents to report violations and said complaints would be followed up promptly.
Housing complexes are also part of the proposed enforcement and awareness effort. The Pollution Control Board and Environment Department were reported to be meeting representatives of housing complexes in Kolkata to seek cooperation in monitoring firecracker use and informing residents about the restrictions. The minister said housing committees had an important role in preventing banned firecrackers from being used inside residential complexes.
The reported instructions also require stricter enforcement within 100 metres of hospitals, nursing homes and old-age homes. The minister said the administration would consider the impact of fireworks on animals and birds, alongside their effects on people and the surrounding environment.
The report does not establish whether the stated October 8 date, the October 30 publication date or the reference to the upcoming festival is accurate. Confirmation is therefore required from the Environment Department, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board or an official festival calendar before the enforcement timeline and public-alert information can be treated as final.
