Kolkata: The noise demon continued to torture Kolkata for the third consecutive night, with banned high-decibel firecrackers being burst across several pockets of the city well past midnight. Despite the two-hour window for bursting crackers having ended on Sunday night, the noise continued unabated on Monday, with celebrations beginning around 7 pm and lasting until 2 am or 3 am. Residents alleged that police intervention remained sporadic, allowing revellers to flout noise norms on streets and inside complexes.Violations were reported from Kasba, Golpark, Behala, Sarsuna, Santoshpur, Bansdroni and New Alipore in south Kolkata, as well as Taltala, College Street and Amherst Street in central Kolkata. Similar complaints emerged from Howrah, Salt Lake, Lake Town, New Town, CR Avenue, Burrabazar, Girish Park, Pathuriaghata, Strand Road and the Poddar Court area.In and around Poddar Court, people were seen bursting crackers on roads without any apparent police intervention. Residents of high-rises on Kalakar Street burst crackers from terraces.“This time our children could really enjoy Diwali. We were apprehensive because, in previous years, cops would come and stop us from bursting loud crackers. But this time nobody came, and we could burst crackers throughout the night. My son has procured enough to burst for the next few days,” said a Kalakar Street resident.For others, however, the prolonged celebrations translated into nights of misery. Avik Roy, a resident of Adhunika Cooperative Housing Society in Lake Gardens, said loud explosions woke his family around 2.45 am on Tuesday. “The sounds were particularly frightening, possibly from crackers that shoot up and explode after falling back to the ground. My mother, who has been unwell, could not sleep and has been feeling worse since morning. I have lived in Kolkata for years and also spent time in Delhi, but I have never witnessed anything like this,” he said.In Kalikapur, Puja Sengupta said her bedridden father, who suffered a cerebral attack, and their pet dog had been distressed by the incessant noise since Saturday. “My father cannot sleep peacefully, while our dog is so terrified that it refuses to come out from under the study table. I have lodged several complaints, but they have made little difference. I honestly do not know when this will end,” she said.Seventy-eight-year-old Sandip Ghosh, also from Kalikapur, alleged that banned chocolate bombs, kalipatkas and rockets were widely available. “Even stationery shops were selling these crackers. How did the administration allow this? The loud thuds affect the health of elderly people like me. Some people appear to have hoarded crackers, capitalising on the lack of police vigilance,” he said.In Dhakuria, Pratip Dey said the situation was particularly distressing given the presence of a hospital less than 100 m from his residence. His mother recently underwent surgery. “Cops come on rounds. But the moment they leave, noise pollution returns. No one was picked up. I found crackers being sold in the local market even on Tuesday,” he said.Lalbazar claimed it had deployed 151 special teams, besides bike patrols, to monitor noise violations in bylanes. However, an environmental activist from Gariahat alleged that local cops had asked her to compromise when she complained. Lalbazar later acknowledged that such a response to a distress call was inappropriate and sent a team from headquarters to check.“Somehow, there was little will in police proposals this year,” she said.
