Sunday saw a quiet start to this year’s Chhath Puja as only a few firecrackers were burst near the ghats where the rituals were performed.
Also, loud music was mostly absent in the processions leading to the ghats. There were a few pockets, though, where the start to the festival was not so quiet.
Residents of Kasba, for instance, said a few crackers were burst and loud music was played.
Large contingents of police guarded Rabindra Sarobar and Subhas Sarobar, where the National Green Tribunal has banned religious rituals to the protect the water bodies and their surroundings.
Many devotees had in 2018 broken the gates of Rabindra Sarobar and performed the rituals, in violation of the tribunal’s orders.
Chhath Puja was not held at Rabindra Sarobar in the last three years. Calcutta High court has ordered that only green crackers can be burst.
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has issued a notification that the green crackers can be burst from 6am to 8am on Monday.
Chhath rituals were performed at dusk on Sunday and will again be performed at dawn on Monday.
There were restrictions on the use of firecrackers emitting loud sound earlier, also, but they were routinely violated. This year the violations were fewer, at least till late on Sunday.
“In our meetings with police, we were asked not to burst banned crackers. We have deployed over 30 volunteers on the way leading to Babughat. Our volunteers are telling people not to burst crackers. We had relayed the police’s message to our community members,” said Vishawmbhar Sharma, who was volunteering from a dais outside Babughat on Sunday evening.
Several officers of Kolkata police said continuous awareness campaigns against loud music — colloquially called DJ music — and firecrackers seem to be working.
Another reason for better compliance of the firecracker rule, an officer said, is a drop in the supply of banned crackers into the city.
A worshipper outside the Jodhpur Park lake said the police had told them that action would be taken against those found bursting crackers.
There was also considerable police presence surrounding the ghats, which might have dissuaded many from bursting crackers.
An officer of Kolkata police said more than 100 divers and 40 rescue boats had been deployed across the ghats in the city. Around 2,000 cops were deployed.