Kolkata : Even as the festive lights are yet to officially brighten the city skyline, the battle over firecrackers has already begun inside Kolkata’s high-rises and several pockets of the city. With complaints over noisy firecrackers already pouring in from housing complexes across Kolkata and New Town, residential societies are tightening restrictions ahead of Kali Puja and Diwali .
From shutting rooftops and banning high-risk fireworks to deploying additional fire-safety personnel, RWAs are stepping up precautions to prevent a repeat of last year’s contentious celebrations.
At Silver Spring on EM Bypass, police visited the complex on Thursday night after residents called Dial 100 over crackers being burst within the premises. Rockets and shells released from terraces can harm aircraft movement as well as cause fire-related mishaps,” a senior Bidhannagar police officer said.
A senior RWA member said the fireworks were allegedly being set off by children. If this is the situation on Dhanteras, I wonder what it will be like on Kali Puja and Diwali,” said Dhakuria resident Parama Roy. Police have also held meetings with housing society representatives, warning of legal action against violators. They identified their parents and warned them, besides reminding residents to follow the permitted two-hour window. “Requests have been made to RWAs to stop residents from bursting crackers from terraces. South City residents will deploy volunteers to ensure only green crackers are burst during permitted hours, while Daffodil Greens in Tollygunge has prohibited sound-emitting fireworks altogether.
Several RWAs have issued fresh guidelines, asking residents to burst only certified green crackers between 8pm and 10pm on Sunday and refrain from using prohibited fireworks. “Since 9pm on Wednesday, there has been constant bursting of crackers in my neighbourhood and other parts of Dhakuria.