Kolkata: A section of revellers in Kolkata continued to violate environmental norms for the second consecutive day during Kali Puja idol immersions on Monday, bursting illegal firecrackers in several residential pockets.While main thoroughfares such as CIT Road and SN Banerjee Road remained relatively quiet and primary Hooghly riverbank ghats saw strict compliance due to heavy security, illegal fireworks were frequently set off in local neighborhoods including Behala, Sarsuna, Garia, Patuli, and Baguiati.Police admitted that while major riverfronts were tightly controlled, managing neighborhood water bodies was a challenge. In contrast to firecracker violations, authorities maintained a zero-tolerance stance on high-decibel DJ music across all locations.The city administration will oversee the immersion of approximately 10,000 Kali idols over a four-day window till Thursday evening. Immersions have been authorized at 33 designated ghats—21 along the Hooghly, three along the Adi Ganga (Ramrik Ghat, Balaram Bose Ghat, and Mukherjee Ghat), and nine local ponds in the southern suburbs for neighbourhoods far from the riverfront. Around 1,179 immersions took place till 9pm on Monday.To prevent law-and-order disruptions and ensure smooth procession management, at Lalbazar has drawn up a security plan. Around 100 female officers have been deployed to cover the major ghats. Additionally, 28 female police personnel have been assigned to handle continuous public announcements starting at 4 pm each day from Monday across 14 prominent ghats and intersections, including Nimtala Ghat, Gwalior Ghat, Babughat, Bagbazar Ghat, Kumortuli Ghat, Doi Ghat, Rabindra Sarani, and the Palashi Gate Road-Kingsway junction.Mobility and crowd safety will be monitored by nine traffic police teams stationed across eight major South Kolkata intersections and Strand Road. On the river, four specialized river police teams are conducting regular patrols. Lalbazar has established four special police camps near Nimtala Ghat, Gwalior Ghat, Doi Ghat, and the river police office, supported by roughly 250 police pickets deployed across the city. Day-shift pickets are also guarding 20 riverbank locations.Disaster Management Group units with motorboats and wireless systems are stationed at 28 Hooghly ghats, with additional stationary units assigned to 14 lakes and water bodies.To curb illegal fireworks in narrow lanes and preserve order, police patrols are operating in two shifts using 62 PCR vehicles, 18 special heavy radio flying squads, 10 heavy radio flying squads, 30 PCR mobiles, and 126 two-officer auto-rickshaws.Watchtowers with binocular-equipped officers are monitoring 27 junctions. Emergency readiness includes nine dedicated police escort vehicles for fire engines, Quick Reaction Teams at nine locations, four special QRTs, 24 total ambulances, and an auxiliary control room at the Police Training School in Hastings.
