13 November,2023 06:20 PM IST | Mumbai | Asif Rizvi
Representational Pic/File
Mumbai Police on Monday said that it registered as many as 784 cases in two days for alleged violation of Bombay High Court order on bursting firecrackers and air pollution.
According to the police, Mumbai has been witnessing deteriorating air quality and rise in air pollution and during Diwali many people in the city burst firecrackers that may add to the rise in rise pollution, the Bombay High Court had recently passed an order issuing time frame for bursting firecrackers in the city.
The police while taking a strict note on the implementation of the Bombay High Court order, all the police stations in the city kept a strict vigil on the violations, an official said.
"The police stations in the city also took actions against those violating the norms set by the court and registered as many as 784 cases in which action was taken against 806 people between November 10 to November 12," an official said.
The Bombay High Court had on November 10 revised its previous order, permitting the bursting of firecrackers only between 8 pm and 10 pm during Diwali in response to escalating air pollution concerns. The decision followed an earlier allowance for three hours, from 7 pm to 10 pm, within the limits of all municipal authorities in Maharashtra, which the court deemed necessary to modify based on the air quality situation.
In a hearing on Friday, the court reportedly had acknowledged a decline in firecracker activity in Mumbai but emphasized the need to address critical areas with poor air quality. The modified order restricts the time for bursting crackers to a two-hour window, from 8 pm to 10 pm.
The court had emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive study by experts to identify the causes of pollution, including potential chemical components. It reiterated the need for constant monitoring and set the next hearing for December 11.
The court had also formed a committee with environmental and air pollution experts, adding a retired bureaucrat as its third member, to monitor and report on pollution levels in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The court had also reportedly noted that all that the government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been doing is fine and good enough.
