Kolkata: Amid three days of relentless bursting of banned firecrackers that turned Diwali into a noisy ordeal, the absence of DJ music emerged as one of the few silver linings this time.While the two-hour cracker window between 8pm and 10pm on Sunday was openly flouted, with explosions continuing well beyond the permitted hours, the state administration managed to enforce one restriction that had been strictly emphasised by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari —a complete ban on DJs during puja celebrations and immersion processions.Unlike previous years, when blaring DJ consoles accompanied immersion processions to ghats, several puja committees consciously kept them out this time and opting for traditional dhakis instead.“We did not even approach any DJ operator this year. There was a clear instruction from the govt, and we decided to follow it. It was a conscious decision to ensure that the celebrations did not add to the city’s noise pollution,” said a Kali Puja committee organiser in Beleghata.The chief minister had said the administration had taken all necessary measures to regulate noise pollution in accordance with Supreme Court directives.“There were no major instances of DJ-related violations reported during the immersions,” a senior Kolkata Police officer said.
