Gurgaon police on alert, will keep tabs on cracker bursting

While the Supreme Court had banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR till November 1, the high court had limited the time for bursting crackers to just three hours on Diwali in Haryana, Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Two court orders— one from the Supreme Court and the other from the Punjab and Haryana high court — will keep Gurgaon police on its toes on Diwali.

The Punjab and Haryana high court has allowed cracker bursting only for three hours on Diwali. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

While the Supreme Court had banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR till November 1, the high court had limited the time for bursting crackers to just three hours on Diwali in Haryana, Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The police said they will ensure that the high court’s directive on use of crackers is implemented in letter and spirit. A meeting in this regard was held at the police commissioner’s office on Wednesday in which senior officials up to the rank of SHOs were present.

Gurgaon administration on Sunday had issued an order asking the police to increase the number of police control room vans patrolling the city on the evening of Diwali after the high court issued directed that crackers can be burst only between 6.30pm and 9.30pm.

Gurgaon DC Vinay Pratap Singh had said that compliance of the high court order was the utmost priority for the administration and the police and civil officials will keep an eye on the situation.

It was proposed that police PCRs and local police stations will increase patrolling and keep a watch in their respective area. The police have also been directed to keep a strict watch on use of crackers that emit sound above the permissible limit.

“The policemen deployed with PCRs have been sensitised about the entire issue and they have been asked to act strictly if there is any violation. We have already ensured that sale and movement of crackers in the city is minimal and action has been taken against violators,” said Ravinder Kumar, public relations officer, Gurgaon police.

The meeting on Wednesday was chaired by police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar, who asked the officials to keep a close watch on the situation and take measures to ensure that the court directions are adhered to strictly.

The ban on sale of crackers has been imposed by the Supreme Court due to the steep rise in pollution levels in Delhi NCR. As per CPCB data, the solid waste burning and crackers contributed most in terms of pollution in Delhi, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad.