153 charged for violation of SC directive on firecrackers in Mumbai

100 people ignored deadline, 53 shopkeepers sold non-green crackers

The Supreme Court had ruled that firecrackers could only be burst between 8 to 10 p.m. every day during Deepavali. File photo

In the first Deepavali following the Supreme Court’s directives on firecrackers, the Mumbai Police took action against 100 people and 53 shopkeepers for allegedly flouting guidelines.

The Supreme Court had last week ruled that firecrackers could only be burst between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. every day during Deepavali. Police officers said that instructions had been passed on to all police stations to enforce these directives and take action against any violators.

“We have taken action against 100 people across the city for bursting firecrackers after the deadline laid down by the Supreme Court. All of them were charged for disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant under the Indian Penal Code, along with sections of the Maharashtra Police Act,” Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP Manjunath Singe said.

Selling without license

As many as 53 shopkeepers were also charged for offences like selling firecrackers without licenses or selling those that do not fall under the ‘green firecrackers’ category, Mr. Singe said.

Police personnel conducted surprise checks at stalls and acted on complaints from citizens and NGOs, officials said.

All police personnel had undertaken awareness drives in their jurisdictions in the days before the festival to ensure no one plead ignorance about the guidelines, officials said. This was done in collaboration with mohalla committees and other organisations that work with the police.

The control room and web cell of the Mumbai Police, which handles their Twitter account, were also instructed to ensure that any complaints related to firecrackers were brought to the notice of the concerned officers immediately, so prompt action could be taken.

First offence

The first offence in this regard was registered by the Trombay police on Wednesday, after a Mankhurd resident complained about two locals bursting crackers after midnight. The duo, both residents of Maharashtra Nagar area, were arrested. Similar action was taken in other parts of the city over the next two days, officers said.