Kolkata: Even as the festive lights are yet to officially brighten the city skyline, the battle over firecrackers has already begun inside Kolkata’s high-rises and several pockets of the city. With complaints over noisy firecrackers already pouring in from housing complexes across Kolkata and New Town, residential societies are tightening restrictions ahead of Kali Puja and Diwali. From shutting rooftops and banning high-risk fireworks to deploying additional fire-safety personnel, RWAs are stepping up precautions to prevent a repeat of last year’s contentious celebrations.From Kasba and Dhakuria in south Kolkata to Baguiati in the north, Taltala in central Kolkata, Phoolbagan in the east and Joka in the west, several pockets emerged as concern areas after cracker violations began even before Dhanteras.Lalbazar sources said police had received at least six Dial 100 and 112 calls till 6pm on Friday. With firecracker seizures more than doubling in the past 48 hours, police are bracing for a major cat-and-mouse chase with violators on Diwali. At least 12 FIRs have been registered in the past 24 hours.Several RWAs have issued fresh guidelines, asking residents to burst only certified green crackers between 8pm and 10pm on Sunday and refrain from using prohibited fireworks. Police have also held meetings with housing society representatives, warning of legal action against violators.At Silver Spring on EM Bypass, police visited the complex on Thursday night after residents called Dial 100 over crackers being burst within the premises. A senior RWA member said the fireworks were allegedly being set off by children. They identified their parents and warned them, besides reminding residents to follow the permitted two-hour window.Complexes across New Town, Rajarhat, Salt Lake and areas near Kolkata airport are also keeping terraces inaccessible from Saturday to Monday to prevent aerial fireworks and sky lanterns that could endanger aircraft movement and trigger fires.“Requests have been made to RWAs to stop residents from bursting crackers from terraces. Rockets and shells released from terraces can harm aircraft movement as well as cause fire-related mishaps,” a senior Bidhannagar police officer said.Individual complexes have introduced additional restrictions. Siddha Pines in Rajarhat has banned rockets and tubris after two incidents last year, when a rocket lodged in the dry balcony garden of a locked flat, causing a fire, and another struck an air-conditioner’s outdoor unit in a high-rise, said secretary Manav Mehra.South City residents will deploy volunteers to ensure only green crackers are burst during permitted hours, while Daffodil Greens in Tollygunge has prohibited sound-emitting fireworks altogether.“Since 9pm on Wednesday, there has been constant bursting of crackers in my neighbourhood and other parts of Dhakuria. If this is the situation on Dhanteras, I wonder what it will be like on Kali Puja and Diwali,” said Dhakuria resident Parama Roy.
