Mass violation of PCB directives during Diwali, Kali Puja

Despite strict directives from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) and the Calcutta High Court, there were large-scale violations of sound and air pollution norms across Hooghly district during Kali Puja and Diwali.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Two social welfare organisations — Baji O DJ Box Birodhi Manch and All Bengal Citizens Forum which regularly campaign against sound pollution, alleged that their repeated appeals to the authorities went unheeded.

Goutam Sarkar, secretary of Baji O DJ Box Birodhi Manch, and Sailen Parbat, president of All Bengal Citizens Forum, said that despite awareness drives and prior warnings, “mass violations” took place on the festival nights. The WBPCB and the Calcutta High Court had permitted only CSIR-NEERI-certified green crackers with noise levels not exceeding 125 decibels [dB(A)] at a distance of four metres, and banned firecrackers and loudspeakers within 100 metres of hospitals, nursing homes and educational institutions.