Bengal sets firecracker hours for Kali Puja, Diwali and Chhath; green crackers only

The West Bengal government has said only certified green firecrackers may be used during Kali Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja, and only within fixed hours. Bursting is allowed between 8 pm and 10 pm on the festival night and between 6 am and 8 am on Chhath, Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh announced after a meeting at Nabanna on Thursday with the Pollution Control Board, police and fire services, AIR and Millennium Post reported. AIR's report refers to Diwali night and Earth News to Kali Puja night; Millennium Post says the window covers both.

Crackers are banned within 100 metres of hospitals and other silence zones, and the noise limits set by the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court apply, AIR reported. Ghosh warned that unauthorised firecrackers would be seized and violators would face legal action.

Environment Minister Manoj Oraon said on Friday that only crackers certified by NEERI and PESO would be permitted and that flying sky lanterns without prior permission from the fire services was illegal. "We will not tolerate bursting of firecrackers outside the stipulated hours," he said. A helpline and a round-the-clock control room will take complaints, though the number has not yet been published, and Pollution Control Board teams will work with police to stop illegal crackers being brought into Kolkata from the districts.