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Kolkata, Oct 21 (IANS) Kolkata Police on Tuesday said around 640 people were arrested from different parts of the city on charges of bursting illegal firecrackers, disorderly conduct and gambling on the night of Kali Puja.
The police also seized 852.45 kg of banned fireworks and 68.4 liters of liquor during the puja last night. Overall, 451 people were arrested for disorderly conduct, 183 for bursting illegal fireworks and six for gambling, a senior Kolkata Police official said.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Traffic Police also prosecuted a total of 882 people for various kinds of traffic violations, including pillion riding without helmet, riding without helmet, bursting crackers and rash driving. Around 99 people were booked for drunk driving and 156 for violating rules, the official said.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma said that both noise and air pollution levels in the city during Diwali were much lower this year compared to last year.
According to the Police Commissioner, Kolkata witnessed less violation of norms set for the celebrations and enforcement teams patrolling various areas confirmed that pollution control was better this year.
Speaking to media persons, Verma said, “Compared to the rest of the country, pollution remained low in Kolkata. We are yet to analyze the 10 pm and midnight reports. But we can definitely say that noise and air pollution were less compared to last year and other cities.”
However, he said, the situation changed on Tuesday after receiving the latest index.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Kolkata remained ‘poor’ on Tuesday due to bursting of firecrackers on Kali Puja.
An official of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said the air quality index (AQI) at the air monitoring station at Victoria Memorial was 253 (PM 2.5) at 2 pm on Tuesday, up from 186 at midnight on Monday.
–IANS
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