Kolkata recorded widespread violations of firecracker and noise pollution restrictions during Diwali, with residents reporting explosions and loud music late into the night, while police figures showed a sharp fall in the quantity of banned fireworks seized compared with last year.
The state government had permitted only green crackers between 8pm and 10pm on Sunday. After 10pm, all fireworks were banned, irrespective of whether they produced sound, light or both. However, residents and environmental groups reported crackers being burst across several parts of the city until after midnight and, in some locations, beyond 2am.
Kolkata Police received 432 complaints about crackers and 11 complaints about loudspeakers, according to an officer cited by The Telegraph. A current member of the state pollution control board said 57 complaints had been received from Calcutta and neighbouring areas. Complaints came from Ballygunge, Lake Town, Kasba, Behala, Phoolbagan, Shyambazar and the EM Bypass, among other areas.
The police recorded 592 arrests during this Diwali, compared with 640 last year. But the seizure of banned fireworks fell substantially, from more than 850kg in 2025 to about 239kg this year. A police officer said raids were conducted when specific information was received, and that police pickets were placed in several areas. The officer also said tracing the source of the noise had proved difficult.
Environmental campaigners said enforcement had been inadequate. Naba Datta, secretary of Sabuj Mancha, told The Telegraph that the police response had been “extremely shoddy”. A former state pollution control board member said fireworks stalls had appeared across the city despite rules allowing sales only at designated bazaars, questioning how such outlets could operate without the police knowing.
A Sabuj Mancha team that visited several hospitals on Sunday night reported firecrackers and other fireworks being used in areas designated as silence zones. Areas within 100 metres of a hospital are typically covered by silence-zone restrictions, where noise levels are not supposed to exceed 50 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night. Datta said the noise in some locations far exceeded permissible limits and occurred close to police personnel.
Residents also described direct effects on sleep and health. An elderly resident of Dum Dum told the newspaper that haze had spread across the sky around 1am and that the noise made sleep impossible. His wife, a cardiac patient, asked him to return indoors and shut the doors. Social media posts from residents and business owners described continued firecracker use, loud devotional music and difficulty reaching the police emergency number.
The urban development and municipal affairs minister acknowledged the problem in a Facebook Live post after visiting parts of south Kolkata with the police. She said firecrackers were still being burst at various locations until 2am despite government guidelines and described the situation as unbearable. A ruling-party MLA also posted a complaint about the noise and tagged Kolkata Police, although the post was later no longer visible on her profile.
The chief minister said the government had regulated fireworks in line with Supreme Court orders and that most violations had occurred after 10pm. The chief minister also said pollution control board members had worked with the police, illegal fireworks had been seized and it was not possible to check every home. The state government’s stated next step is continued enforcement of the existing restrictions, while police and pollution-control officials have not announced any revised citywide enforcement framework in the report.
