Kolkata: Members of Sara Bangla Atasbazi Unnayan Samiti on Friday held a meeting with senior officers of Kolkata Police and other departmental officials at Police Training School, urging them to meet certain demands of theirs.
Chairman of Sara Bangla Atasbazi Unnayan Samiti Babla Roy said that they would conduct a test of firecrackers at Tala Park on next Monday, in presence of senior officials of various departments like West Bengal Pollution Control Board, West Bengal State Electricity Board, CESC and the police.
In Bengal, the highest permissible sound limit of firecrackers remains at 90 decibel. But the Supreme Court has recently directed a ban on manufacture, sale and use of high sound and
light emitting crackers, including series crackers. It has restricted the bursting of crackers across the country, to only two hours between 8-10 pm.
Sara Bangla Atasbazi Unnayan Samiti has urged the government that the single window system for issuance of licence to firecracker sellers should be made more effective. They also said that a firecracker market operates at Lake Town, flouting the basis norms. The organisation urged the police to look into the matter.
From the next year, the testing for firecrackers must be completed two months prior to Diwali, the organisation demanded. It also said that the police should conduct a stringent vigil so that China-made firecrackers do not enter the markets.
Roy also raised questions on what would be done to around 300 tonne firecrackers which were already circulated in various markets, as they have been restricted from being used following the recent order by the Apex Court.
It may be mentioned here that uncertainty remains over the venue of firecracker fair as there has been some restrictions over organising it at Sahid Minar ground, where it had been held earlier. In that case, the venue may shift to Tala Park, sources in the police said.