Kolkata: Environmental group Sabuj Mancha has urged the state govt to take advance steps to curb noise and air pollution during Kali Puja and Diwali, enforce fireworks curbs and reopen cases linked to deaths and injuries at illegal fireworks units.In a letter written to the chief minister and the chief secretary, the group sought mandatory sound limiters on loudspeakers and stricter police action against violations, saying residents often feared lodging complaints and that complaints were not always acted upon. It thanked the administration for curbing DJ music and regulating loudspeakers after 10pm during Durga Puja 2026, while noting violations in some areas.Sabuj Mancha demanded reconsideration of the state pollution control board’s earlier decision to move the fireworks industry from the red category to the white category. It said controls on manufacture and sale must be restored to ensure only Supreme Court-approved green crackers are produced and sold.The group said fireworks should be sold only at authorised seasonal markets, but were being openly sold in villages and cities. It also sought an immediate stop to online sales, citing Supreme Court’s 2018 Arjun Gopal judgment.It asked police to enforce permitted bursting hours: 8pm-10pm on Kali Puja and Diwali, 6am-8am on Chhath Puja and 11.55pm-12.30am on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.Sabuj Mancha claimed 15 anti-noise campaigners had been killed since 1997 and said 40 fireworks factory blasts since 2009 had killed at least 211 people. It sought punishment and compensation.
