This Diwali, Calcutta police are targeting children, residents of high-rise buildings and social media users to create awareness against the use of sound crackers and reiterate that bursting of green crackers will be allowed only between 8pm and 10pm.

The majority of the violations reported every year include bursting banned crackers on the terrace of high-rise buildings.

Senior officers in the city police headquarters said all the police stations had been instructed to organise rallies engaging school students, carry out mike campaigns on the thoroughfares and inside lanes and bylanes to spread the message.

“We are holding meetings with office-bearers of high-rise buildings so that they could sensitise the residents to abide by the rules and regulations set by the police and the honourable court,” said an inspector posted in the south division.

The Supreme Court had issued a directive last year that only green crackers could be burst between 8pm and 10pm.

Another officer in the central division said they were trying to emphasise the fact that violating the norms could lead to one-night’s detention at the local police station and attracting a fine along with a month’s imprisonment.

Sources in the police said members of the housing societies of all high-rise buildings had been instructed to lock the terraces. The police will keep a vigil on such buildings.

Last year, cops had been posted at several housing societies in the pockets of Park Street and Shakespeare Sarani to ensure that no crackers were burst on the terrace after the deadline.

For netizens, Calcutta police have designed a host of posters encouraging a peaceful Diwali keeping in mind the well-being of pets, babies, patients and elderly people.

The police will also use drones and manoeuvre them on top of high-rise buildings like The 42 to keep an eye on the areas that usually generate maximum noise on Diwali.