Nagpur residents burst firecrackers on public roads during Diwali celebrations despite restrictions imposed by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, disrupting traffic and creating risks for motorists, emergency travellers and people heading to railway stations and the airport, according to a report by the Times of India. The incidents were reported between 7pm and 11pm on Sunday across several localities.
Groups, particularly youngsters, were seen bursting long strings of firecrackers, joint crackers and rockets in the middle of roads. The activity turned public streets into makeshift firecracker zones, forcing motorists to slow down or negotiate around burning crackers and crowds.
The court had directed the Nagpur commissioner of police to ensure that streets were not used for bursting firecrackers and that its directions were followed. Despite that order, the reported violations took place on roads used by residents travelling for urgent work, official duties, medical needs and transport connections.
A resident of Godhani told the Times of India that he nearly met with an accident while travelling to a hospital near Hingna T-Point. He said a cluster of crackers went off in Zingabai Talki around 9pm and that similar incidents occurred along the route, with burning crackers and sudden explosions repeatedly appearing in his path.
At Chhaoni, a group of youths reportedly set fire to strings of crackers under the Sadar flyover, holding up traffic. Lit crackers were also thrown into the air, posing a risk to commuters travelling on the other side of the road. The location is part of a wider road network used by people moving through the city, making the disruption a public-safety and traffic-management issue rather than a private celebration confined to residential premises.
The report also described similar activity in affluent neighbourhoods, where elderly residents were seen accompanying children while crackers were burst in the middle of roads. The incidents affected motorists and people travelling to railway stations, the airport and destinations outside the city. Those undertaking essential journeys had to pass through roads occupied by people setting off firecrackers.
The reported events place the focus on enforcement of court directions in public spaces. The order assigned responsibility to the police commissioner for ensuring compliance, while the incidents described across multiple localities indicate the difficulty of keeping roads clear during peak festive hours. The Times of India report did not provide details of arrests, fines, traffic diversions or other enforcement action following the violations.
The immediate operational concern was the effect on road users between 7pm and 11pm, when sudden explosions, burning material and groups gathered on carriageways obstructed movement. Further official details on enforcement action and the police response were not available in the supplied report.
