Pollution in Kolkata during Diwali lesser than last year: Police Commissioner Manoj Verma

Kolkata, Oct 21 (PTI) Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma on Tuesday claimed that both noise and air pollution levels in the metropolis during Diwali were significantly lower this time as compared to last year.

He claimed that the city also fared better than other metropolises in this regard.

According to the police commissioner, Kolkata witnessed fewer violations of norms laid down for the celebrations, and enforcement teams patrolling various neighbourhoods confirmed that pollution control was better this year.

"Noise levels remained under 90 decibels, well within the permissible limit of 125 decibels. Till 6 pm on Monday, air quality in Kolkata was better than in most other major cities in India. A clearer picture will emerge once data from 10 pm or midnight is reviewed," Verma told reporters.

However, the ground situation told a different story.

Firecrackers, including high-decibel illegal varieties, were burst across the city well past the 10 pm deadline, with some heard as late as 2 am, environmentalists claimed.

Residents, particularly children, elderly, and those with health conditions, reported being distressed by the continuous barrage of explosions. Firecrackers were reportedly even hurled towards moving trains, creating panic among passengers.

Kolkata's air quality deteriorated sharply on Kali Puja night on Monday as firecrackers were burst beyond the permissible hours of 8 pm to 10 pm, flouting guidelines issued by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) and police, the environmentalists added.

A WBPCB official said that 186 AQI (air quality index) (PM 2.5) was recorded at Victoria Memorial monitoring station in the city at 10 pm.

An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered 'poor', 201 to 300 'very poor', and above 300 is classified as 'severe'.

At Padmapukur, AQI read 361, while it was 252 at Ghusuri, both in Howrah district.

In Kolkata's Ballygunge, AQI touched 173, while at Jadavpur it was 169 at 10 pm, the PCB official said, adding that at Rabindra Bharati University in the Sinthi area in the northern part of the city, AQI touched 167, he said.

At 8 pm on Monday, the AQI was 164 at Victoria, 159 (Jadavpur), 117 (Fort William), 161 (Belur Math), 102 (Rabindra Bharati University) and 134 at Ballygunge, the official added. PTI SCH ACD