The Supreme Court order limiting the duration for bursting firecrackers between 8 and 10 pm in Mumbai and other cities has been ignored in Mumbai and surrounding areas since Monday night.
With several communities celebrating Diwali on Tuesday morning, sounds of firecrackers could be heard from early in the day.
People took to social media to state that fire crackers have been going off at many places despite the orders of the apex court.
However, many admitted that the noise levels were far lower this year.
Police officials said they would book anyone found bursting crackers outside the deadline imposed by the Supreme Court.
“Apart from directly nabbing people setting off firecrackers in public places, we will monitor CCTVs in housing complexes and other places to catch offenders,” a spokesman for the Mumbai police said.
However, no one has so far been arrested till Tuesday afternoon, the official added.
According to sources, top police officials met with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam to apprise them about the measures taken to impose the orders of the apex court.
Following an earlier order of the Bombay High Court restricting the bursting off fire crackers from 6 pm to 10 pm, the Maharashtra Government had already withdrawn licenses given to shopkeepers in residential areas to stock and sell fire crackers.
At many places in Mumbai, fire crackers were not sold in the open though these were being sold clandestinely.
Meanwhile, members of Mumbai’s business communities said the SC restriction would crimp their celebrations.
Traditionally, they burst fire crackers before and after the Lakshmi Pooja the muhurat for which is at 8.33 pm on Wednesday. At many buildings where rich diamond merchants live, they have been told by local police to observe the time restrictions.
Fireworks dealers in Mumbai’s Mohammad Ali road who control the business in the city say the restrictions have badly affected sales of traditional noisy crackers.
The ‘green crackers’ mooted by the apex court is unavailable at many places and is very expensive at others, according to the dealers.
