Mass violation of PCB directives during Diwali, Kali Puja in Hooghly
The Statesman | 23 October 2025Two social welfare organisations — Baji O DJ Box Birodhi Manch and All Bengal Citizens Forum — which regularly campaign against sound pollution, alleged that their repeated appeals to the authorities went unheeded.
Goutam Sarkar, secretary of Baji O DJ Box Birodhi Manch, and Sailen Parbat, president of All Bengal Citizens Forum, said that despite awareness drives and prior warnings, “mass violations” took place on the festival nights.
The WBPCB and the Calcutta High Court had permitted only CSIR-NEERI–certified green crackers with noise levels not exceeding 125 decibels [dB(A)] at a distance of four metres, and banned firecrackers and loudspeakers within 100 metres of hospitals, nursing homes and educational institutions.
“On Diwali night, high-intensity sound crackers were burst indiscriminately. After midnight, the situation turned alarming, with deafening explosions echoing across Uttarpara, Hindmotor, Konnagar, Rishra, Serampore, Chandannagar, Bandel, Haripal, Singur and Kamarkundu,” said Mr Sarkar.
Mr Parbat described it as “a terrible night,” adding that even staying indoors did not help in preventing noice pollution. “Patients, the elderly, children and pets were the worst affected,” he said.
Mr Sarkar said patients in hospitals were panic-stricken by the continuous bursting of crackers. “The administration appeared helpless,” he added.
Both organisations claimed that several attempts to reach local police stations over phone went unanswered.
Refuting the charges, inspector-in-charge of Serampore police station Shukomoy Chatterjee, under Chandannagar Commissionerate, said: “Vigorous police patrolling was done and nearly 30 persons were arrested within Chandannagar Commissionerate and adjoining rural areas.”
Mr Sarkar recalled that since 1997, nearly 14 people had lost their lives while protesting against high-decibel crackers and DJ systems. “We paid homage to them at a programme on Monday evening at Chandannagar Strand Road,” he said.
Dr Pradeep Das, president of Serampore IMA, stressed the need for early awareness. “Students must be educated about the harmful effects of sound and air pollution. Even healthy individuals may develop illnesses from prolonged exposure. It is deeply concerning that the administration and the Pollution Control Board failed to control pollution during Diwali and Kali Puja,” he said.
