Kolkata: Representatives of housing complexes on Saturday urged police and state pollution control board (PCB) officials to crack down on illegal firecracker markets, questioning why residents were repeatedly asked to follow safety norms while unauthorised sellers continued to operate openly across the city.At a coordination meeting attended by police officers and PCB officials, resident welfare association (RWA) representatives from 40 housing complexes said they could ensure compliance within their premises but had little control over the source of firecrackers sold in the market. They also questioned whether buying crackers from designated Bazi Baazars was enough to guarantee that the products were legal and safe.“Every year, officials tell us to follow firecracker norms. We do so. But isn’t it also the duty of the police and PCB to ensure that illegal crackers are not sold in the market? We buy crackers from Bazi Baazars hoping they are legal and safe, but several illegal markets across the city openly sell crackers. We cannot control people if they buy from there,” said a South City resident.The issue has particular resonance for South City residents. During Kali Puja last year, Kolkata Police seized firecrackers from the complex and allegedly apprehended a group of residents for bursting illegal crackers. The residents maintained that they had purchased the crackers from a Bazi Baazar.“We also raised the issue of action against illegal cracker sellers. Officials said only green crackers would be available in the market this year and urged us to buy them from Bazi Baazars,” said a resident of Swarnamani complex.A senior RWA member of Silver Spring complex said the association had circulated advisories among residents and was trying to ensure compliance with all the stipulations. However, the official said, the association had limited control over individual residents if illegal crackers remained freely available in the market.“We can only advise but cannot control all residents. The cops should just ensure no illegal crackers are sold in the market, and the rest can be taken care of by us,” the official said.PCB member secretary Ashok Pratap Singh urged housing societies to ensure that residents, particularly children, did not burst banned crackers. “Please remember there are ailing people and senior citizens who will be inconvenienced if rules are broken. There is no fun in polluting the environment,” he said.Residents were also briefed on the impact of firecracker emissions on air quality. “Air quality has already started deteriorating. Emissions from crackers will only worsen the situation. The accumulated pollutants will remain in the air for long, and this is the air we will breathe,” an official said.A representative of a Salt Lake housing complex, meanwhile, questioned why the focus on pollution was largely confined to festivals, pointing out that crackers worth lakhs of rupees were frequently burst at Nicco Park. The representative urged authorities to remain vigilant throughout the year.Several housing complexes have also agreed to restrict access to terraces on Diwali night or deploy volunteers to monitor compliance with safety norms.
