Kolkata: Despite rules prohibiting the sale of loose firecrackers, shoppers at Chandni Chowk market on Friday afternoon had the option of buying unpacked crackers in bulk, alongside a range of other fireworks, many of which appeared to be illegal. A TOI check of the manufacturers’ names printed on the covers of five products against the list of NEERI-approved manufacturers found that three were missing from the list.An officer of Kolkata Police said green crackers manufactured by any of the 1,700 makers mentioned in the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)-approved list are legal crackers. “Anything else is illegal,” said the officer.NEERI sources said the crackers made by these units follow the NEERI-approved formula. These were green crackers with 30% less emission than conventional crackers.But at Chandni Chowk market, there was none to check which ones were illegal crackers. Buyers picked up any item they wanted. Kolkatans said the picture was similar in Kalighat, Behala, Kasba or in most pockets of the city.Green activists rued that Kolkata’s markets were filled with illegal crackers and many have purchased them, too. They said Diwali was likely to be a noisy and polluting festival because the police and govt did not crack down on illegal crackers before they entered the market. “The PCB said in its meeting with housing complexes that crackers sold in Bazi Baazars were the only legal ones. But across the city, one can find illegal crackers being sold,” said Naba Dutta of Sabuj Mancha, a group fighting on environmental issues.The green activists also pointed towards a loosening of rules that allowed illegal crackers to flood the market. “The downgrading of firecrackers industry to white category from red in 2023 allowed multiple small production units to grow up across the state. Most of these units manufacture stuff that do not adhere to green-cracker formula. Obtaining a licence to make fireworks was much more difficult when fireworks industry was in the red category. Making it white has enabled almost anyone to open a manufacturing unit,” said an activist. Many of them flagged the issue in a meeting with PCB officials on Saturday.A police officer said any cracker being sold outside the four Bazi Baazars — at Sahid Minar ground, Tala Park, Behala Blind School ground and opposite Metro Cash and Carry on EM Bypass — is illegal. The state pollution control board (PCB) has barred the bursting of any cracker beyond two hours on Diwali evening. Any cracker being burst on other days is an illegal act. “We have issued about 160 licences to sell firecrackers. These licences were issued to those who have set up stalls at the four Bazi Baazars,” said a police officer.
