NEW DELHI: Delhi Police was kept on its toes on Diwali with around 1,200 calls about violations of the ban on firecrackers.
The cops have so far registered 210 cases for disregarding the court-directed prohibition on the bursting of crackers and arrested 143 people between September 29 and November 4.
Apart from this, police have also registered 125 cases and arrested 138 people for violating the ban on the sale and supply of firecrackers in the same period.
The maximum number of cases against bursting of crackers was registered in Rohini. A police officer disclosed that a substantial number of violations were reported in Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi, Burari in north Delhi, Paschim Vihar in west Delhi and Shahdara in east Delhi. “People had procured firecrackers in huge quantities at lower prices from the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana,” the officer said.
In an effort to ensure the ban was successful, Delhi Police had contacted 699 schools to spread awareness and educate the students on the ill effects of bursting firecrackers on the air and people’s health. A total of 706 teams had been constituted to enforce the ban directives.
In the last one and a half months, the cops seized a massive volume of illegal firecrackers in the city. Data shared by police showed that between September 29 and November 4 this year, 19,702.5 kg of firecrackers were seized.
On September 28, Delhi Pollution Control Committee ordered a complete ban on the sale, purchase and bursting of firecrackers in the capital till January 1, 2022.
Last year, on Diwali, Delhi Police received more than 2,000 calls in its control room from people reporting violation of the ban on firecrackers. On Diwali day alone, the cops had arrested 850 people last year and confiscated 1,314.4 kg of firecrackers. Police data showed that the maximum cases of the ban violation last year were registered in Outer-North police district (165), followed by North (146), North-West (127) and Outer district (99).
