Kolkata Police has taken special measures to ensure law and order in the city ahead of the upcoming Kali Puja and Diwali festivals. The police issued an advisory stating that the sale or purchase of lanterns will not be tolerated in the city under any circumstances, Police Commissioner Manoj Verma has made it clear. This special measure has been taken in accordance with the Fire Department's 2019 rules, which list lanterns as illegal items; individuals who use them or sell them may face legal consequences.
Commissioner reinforces strict festive guidelines
The Commissioner made clear about this stance in the coordination meeting organised by Lalbazar in the presence of all Kalipuja committees. Police OCs and additional OCs were also present at Dhandhanya Auditorium on Wednesday. The police commissioner said that even though the festive atmosphere is maintained, no laxity in security will be tolerated. Specific rules must be followed when burning firecrackers, especially in multi-storey housing and residential complexes. However, the use of green firecrackers is not prohibited in this case.
According to the notice,” Manoj Kumar Verma, Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, being an Executive Magistrate for the Metropolitan area of Kolkata as well as in the district of South 24 Parganas (within the limits of the suburbs of Kolkata falling under Kolkata Police jurisdiction), do hereby state that any person contravening this order shall be prosecuted as per existing law.”
Puja committees urged to organise responsible celebrations
On this occasion, the puja committee members also asked to do a carnival like Durga Puja. There is a total of 3000 Kali puja events in Kolkata police, and among them, the police have already given authorisation to 2800 puja committees.
Keeping the environment in mind, the decibel limit has also been set to only 90 -125 dB. Debolina Biswas, the borough Chairman of Kolkata Municipality, said that everyone must play a responsible role to ensure the safety of citizens and a peaceful festival.
While the directive is undoubtedly essential, questions remain over whether the Kolkata Police can effectively curb fireworks and noise pollution. In previous year,s too, the lack of strict surveillance has repeatedly brought this issue to light.
