Only 12 booked this year as compared to 33 in 2017

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 9

Even as the Supreme Court (SC) issued a blanket ban on the bursting of crackers before and after the 8 to 10 pm time slot on Diwali night, the guidelines caught the police off guard in the city as hundreds of residents burnt crackers in the morning, evening, late in the night and til the wee hours in the city in complete violation of the court guidelines. FIRs lodged against violators also remained way short of persons booked last year.

While as many as 33 FIRs were lodged against violators last year, (the HC had set a 9.30 pm deadline for cracker bursting last year), this year, merely 12 FIRs were lodged by the Jalandhar police for bursting crackers after the 10 pm deadline.

This was despite the fact that hundreds of residents burst crackers late in the night in violation of the rules. Interestingly, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the nodal agency responsible for preventing pollution in the state, also washed its hands off the situation, saying the penalisation of violators falls under the ambit of the police and they could not even challan violators for flouting the norms.

Even as Jalandhar remained the most polluted city in the state a day after Diwali with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) putting the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city at 294 a day after Diwali, which was worse than other cities of the state, the police said it was still on the lookout for people who flouted the norms on the festival.

Jalandhar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said: “We have lodged 12 FIRs against those flouting the norms. These have primarily been lodged against unidentified persons. Right now, it is a limited number but it might increase based on the evidence we can lay our hands on. We are seeking information, videos and other evidence from citizens. Those who flouted the norms will not be spared. The number could rise to 50 or 150, based on the information we get. But violators won’t be allowed to go scot-free.”

Senior Environmental Engineer, PPCB, Jalandhar, Harbir Singh, said: “Penalising people is not PPCB’s job. Taking action against those bursting crackers is entirely in the police domain. The PPCB can act against industrial violators but not those bursting crackers. However, we are doing as much as we can on the awareness front. We are holding seminars and awareness programmes to inform people about harmful affects of crackers. Similar measures will also be taken to prevent violations on Gurpurb. We are also trying to talk to the SGPC about it. We expect a total compliance on Gurpurb.”

The timings decided for bursting crackers during Gurpurb by the Supreme Court are from 4 am to 5 am and 9 pm to 10 pm.

‘Penalising violators not PPCB’s job’

Hundreds of residents burst crackers late in the night on Diwali in violation of the rules. Interestingly, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the nodal agency responsible for preventing pollution in the state, also washed its hands off the situation, saying the penalisation of violators falls under the ambit of the police and they could not even challan violators for flouting the norms.