Avoid fire crackers during Kali Puja, Deepavali: West Bengal Chief Secretary

West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandhyopadhyay on Tuesday urged people to avoid fire crackers during Kali Puja and Deepavali.

The Chief Secretary said Durga Puja celebrations ended without any incident and necessary precautions should be taken for the coming festivals.

“The pandal should be open on all sides. Proper health and hygiene measures like wearing of masks should be maintained,” the Chief Secretary said. He added that these guidelines are results of meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Like Durga Puja there are several community Kali Pujas in the city and in the suburbs and crowd management in the present situation is a matter of concern for the administration

“We will avoid crackers and try to stay away from crackers. In case of immersion the clubs will be coordinating with local police station,” Mr. Bandhyopadhyay said. Senior officials maintained there is no ban on crackers but its an appeal to people to avoid crackers.

The West Bengal Pollution Control has previously issued directions banning crackers over 90 decibels.

Meanwhile, a few petitions have been filed before the Calcutta High Court demanding complete ban on crackers.