Over the last two days as Diwali festivities gathered steam, firecrackers could be heard during all hours of the day. However, no FIR has been registered by the police.
Citizens took to social media to complain about violation of the Supreme Court order restricting the bursting of firecrackers between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
"The ban has not been implemented properly. It's almost like there is no ban at all," Sushmitha Padmanabh, a resident of New Thippasandra.
Another resident from Banashankari IIIrd stage realised that parents had not educated their children about the Supreme Court’s restriction. “When I approached the children in my locality who were bursting crackers in the morning, they said they didn’t know about any ban,” said the mother of a college student.
Social media was abuzz with citizens flagging violations in their neighbourhoods. One Twitter user, ‘@Prakashkudur’, tagged the city police and alerted them to firecrackers being set off at Vijaynagar at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Similarly @Bravegal7 requested action against bursting crackers much before the designated window in HSR Layout. Suraj Selvam, a resident of Yelahanka, said in his area crackers were being burst even at 7 a.m.
Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar said that no FIR was registered, but observed that it had significantly reduced when compared to previous years. “Except for a few cases, bursting crackers in the city is restricted to the set window. We have carried out an extensive campaign through our beat constables on the issue, and it has paid off,” he said.
A few apartment complexes made a concerted effort to ensure a quieter and smoke-free Diwali. "In my apartment, we followed the time restrictions as it's a community with a lot of people. So I support the ban on crackers and it helps to reduce noise pollution and disturbance in any area," said Smarak Chakraborty, a resident of Mahadevpura.
The Air Quality Index of the city had slipped marginally on Tuesday, compared to Monday. However, it remains in the satisfactory range and has not deteriorated further, unlike previous years, said officials.
Seven cases of eye injuries in Minto hospital
Despite awareness campaigns prior to Deepavali about safe use of firecrackers and the thrust on ‘green crackers’, eye injuries were reported in hospitals. In the Minto Eye Hospital, officials said seven cases were reported since Tuesday, with one case of loss of sight.
In Narayana Nethralaya, four cases were reported — all termed ‘minor injuries’. The victims were a 70-year-old bystander, a 21-year-old and two 13-year-old youths.
Published - November 07, 2018 10:11 pm IST
