Despite ban on bursting crackers in the National Capital, the Delhi Police personnel were kept their toes as they received over 2,000 Police Control Room (PCR) calls in connection with bursting firecrackers across the city. Police on Diwali also seized over 1,300 kilograms (kgs) of crackers across the city.
The National Green Tribunal on November 9 had imposed a total ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region from midnight of November 9 to the midnight of November 30 but on Diwali bursting of firecrackers were witnessed across Delhi.
According to a senior police official, on Diwali police received 2,100 PCR calls on Diwali night.“Most of these calls were regarding bursting of firecrackers and were received from Southwest, Dwarka and Northwest parts of Delhi. Such calls were received between 8:30 PM to 10.30 PM,” said the senior police official.
Meanwhile, around 1,206 cases including kalandras (formal notices) were registered in connection with sale and usage of firecrackers on Diwali night.
“A total number of people arrested, including those boundown on Diwali alone were 850 and a total of 1,314.42 kgs of firecrackers were seized on Diwali,” said a senior police official.As per the Delhi Police data compiled on the Deepwali night, maximum cases were registered in outer-north north district (165) followed by North (146), Northwest (127) and outer (99) while maximum firecrackers were seized in outer district (286.20 kgs) followed by southwest (260.70 kgs) and outer-north with (118.10 kgs).
Ahead of Deepawali, the Delhi government too had imposed a total ban on firecrackers, including the environmentally safer green crackers, from November 7-30 to combat rising air pollution amid an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the city.