Cop action curbed bursting of noisy firecrackers: NGO

Mumbai: City activists have said that though several places in Mumbai flouted the Supreme Court order of the two-hour time period for bursting firecrackers this Diwali, police action helped curb the bursting of noisy crackers beyond 10 pm at many places.

NGO Awaaz Foundation, which records noise levels during festivals in Mumbai, stated that there was less noise pollution in the days before Diwali and fewer crackers were burst overall on all days. The trend of reduction in noise pollution over the last several years continued in Mumbai this year. This year, the maximum decibel level was recorded at 114.1 dB, lower than last year’s maximum of 117.8 dB.

“The police implemented the Supreme Court deadline of 10 pm at Marine Drive on Diwali day. Although there were some violations, the police shut down firecracker use at 10 pm and also took action against those still bursting firecrackers after the deadline,” said Sumaira Abdulali, founder, Awaaz Foundation.

Meanwhile, seven people were detained for allegedly flouting the apex court’s guidelines and bursting crackers beyond the permissible time limit of 10 pm, according to the Mumbai police. They were taken to the concerned police station and fined as per provisions of the Bombay Police Act before being let off.

Ms Abdulali said, “The government did not release the test results of the chemical composition of firecrackers prior to Diwali, and so, it could not be acted upon. The result of Awaaz Foundation’s tests which showed high levels of toxic chemicals was also not acted upon.”