Yet, as the evening wore on, fireworks continued across Delhi well past the deadline, with several neighbourhoods reporting bursts until 3am.
The Supreme Court had set a narrow two-hour window for bursting firecrackers on Diwali, permitted only certified “green” crackers, and made it clear that the restrictions would be strictly enforced.
Yet, violations were reported on both days, with fireworks continuing well into Monday night. However, the police headquarters had not shared any consolidated data till the time of going to press. “Firecracker bursting was full-fledged until 11pm. the sound of firecrackers could still be heard until 2am-3am While there was a slight decline in the intensity after 11pm. “By and large, people had stopped bursting crackers after 10pm, but a few continued. Since there were no major complaints, we did not approach the police. “Not only the police but the Delhi government also failed.
Despite forming more than 250 special enforcement teams, holding multiple rounds of meetings with stakeholders and claiming to have stepped up surveillance, Delhi Police appeared unable to prevent widespread violations. Senior police officers claimed that a strict crackdown had been carried out against violators and illegal sellers, with more than 350 first information reports (FIRs) registered. The Supreme Court had allowed the sale and bursting of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR for limited periods around Diwali, permitting their use between 6am and 7am and 8pm and 10pm on November 7 and 8. It had made clear that a complete ban on firecrackers would be restored from November 9. Given the limited manpower, it’s not possible for a beat police staff to run to 10 different locations at a time,” he said.
The widespread violations, residents said, took place despite police personnel being deployed on the ground, raising questions about how effectively the restrictions were enforced. Residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) across the city said firecrackers were burst well before and long after the permitted hours, with little intervention from authorities. The police presence was there on the ground, but they weren’t stopping people from flouting rules,” said BS Vohra, president of the East Delhi RWA Federation. Chitra Jain, president of the New Friends Colony-Ashoka Park RWA, said some residents eventually approached the police after failing to persuade neighbours to stop. However, the next morning, I learnt that a few residents had filed complaints against their neighbours,” she said. Arvind Kaila, president of the Kailash Colony RWA, described the failure to enforce the Supreme Court’s directions as a “systematic failure”, blaming both the police and the Delhi government.
