A large part of the city celebrated a noiseless Diwali, following in letter and spirit the Calcutta High Court ban on firecrackers.

Till around 9pm, smaller pockets and fringe areas received more complaints of violations compared to the heart of the city and the traditional hotspots that are usually known for a noisy Diwali.

Till 9.30pm, only 15 persons were arrested for violating the ban relating to firecrackers in the city.

According to statistics shared by the pollution control board and Sabuj Mancha, they had received 25 and 33 complaints till around 9.15pm on Saturday. A few instances of bursting chocolate bombs were reported in the Cossipore neighbourhoods around 9pm.

According to feedback from police, pollution control board and Calcuttans Metro spoke to, traditional noise-making pockets like Lake Town, VIP Road, Behala, Burrabazar and Bowbazar were more or less silent till on Saturday evening compared to previous years while complaints had poured in from fringe areas in the south like Sonarpur and Baruipur.

What was different this Diwali:

Court order: Calcutta High Court had banned sale, possession and bursting of any form of firecrackers this year and instructed the state to execute a complete ban at any cost because of the pandemic.

This means violators could be prosecuted and arrested under strict sections which could lead to an imprisonment of a few years. “Who will take the risk of being arrested? Last year one of my friends had to spend a night at Thakurpukur police station. This year none of us is taking any chance,” said Priyank Sinha, a resident of New Alipore.

Amplified health concerns because of the changes brought about by Covid-19 could also have made people want to act responsibly by paying heed to the ban.

Police vigil: The police had posted personnel at high-rise buildings in Park Street, Shakespeare Sarani, Alipore and New Alipore area from where multiple cases are reported every year.

Police patrol in auto rickshaws and radio flying squads apart from 5000-odd cops on the roads were a deterrent to bursting crackers, a section of the police felt.

Diwali in Ballygunge and Gariahat were “peaceful” till 10pm, compared to last year. “I made three rounds of a highrise in my area which is famous for violating the cracker norms. This year there is complete silence,” said an officer of Ballygunge police station.

Citizen activism: Many police stations, such as that in Behala and Thakurpukur, said they were receiving petty complaints that did not merit to be reported.

“People are panicking. A young boy had fired a cap in his toy gun. Hearing that, one of his neighbours dialled the police station to report. On enquiry, it was found to be a trivial matter. Neighbours were a little overcautious,” said a police officer in the Parnasree area.

In several cases, it was found that the actual incident of bursting crackers had happened in the adjoining police station area that falls under South 24-Parganas, but residents of Calcutta were reporting it.

A Behala resident said as of 8.30pm, he could hear only a few firecrackers, compared to the incessant noise that buffets him every Diwali for hours.

A queue at Dakshineswar temple on Kali Puja on Saturday Pradip Sanyal

Cracker crunch: As there was almost negligible sale of firecrackers this year, even those who wanted could not get their hands on their share of firecrakers. “We are retiring early tonight. My children are upset,” said a resident of Beleghata.

The police in Calcutta, Bidhannagar, Howrah and Barrackpore had been conducting raids and searches for illegal stockpiles of firecrakers. More than 270kg of firecrackers, including chocolate bombs and shells, had been seized by Bidhannagar police in the past few days.

The squeeze on availability of firecrakers and awareness campaigns against their sale, possession or use helped the police to a large extent, till Saturday evening, several police officers said.

Pet-friendly: Calcuttans who have pets and dread the noisy Diwali nights said they had not had a more peaceful Diwali in the past few years.

“I feel petrified for my pets (dogs) who literally stop eating during this period. They become so miserable that every year I have to keep on complaining against the bursting of firecrackers from the adjoining area. But this Diwali is so silent, till now. I am grateful that good sense has prevailed,” said Mandira Ghosh, a resident of a high-rise building off the Bypass at Kalikapur.

Children’s day out

The underprivileged children are from NGO homes and Saturday’s ride ended with all of them getting goody bags from the commission Bishwarup Dutta

More than 80 children who enjoyed a tram ride on three routes — Shyambazar, Nonapukur and Gariahat — at Esplanade, where the rides culminated, on Saturday morning.
The tram ride on the occasion of Children’s Day marks the beginning of the observation of child rights week by the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

The underprivileged children are from NGO homes and Saturday’s ride ended with all of them getting goody bags from the commission.

“Saturday marked the beginning of the child rights week to stand up for the rights of the child that the commission organises every year. The difference this year was handing over masks and hand sanitisers to the children and maintaining social distancing. Not just Calcutta, child rights awareness campaigns are organised in the districts, too,” said Mahuya Santra, consultant at the state child rights commission