In compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives on the ban of fireworks and in the interest of public safety, Commissioner of Police and District Magistrate, Kevithuto Sophie has banned/prohibited bursting of firecrackers in Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Niuland districts with immediate effect.
In an order, CP said that use of fireworks on festival days like Diwali, Gurupurab etc would be allowed strictly from 8 p.m. till 10 pm only while on Christmas eve and New Year’s eve, it would be from 11:55 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. only.
CP further said that no items(s) other than the Reduced Emission firecrackers (improved crackers) and Reduced Emission firecrackers (green crackers: safe water and air sprinklers (SWAS) as prescribed and approved by the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization (PESO) shall be used during the permitted hours. The sale shall only be through licensed traders and the traders are to ensure that only prescribed permitted firecrackers are sold.
No fireworks shall be burst in silence zones– 100 meters away from hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health-care centres, educational institutions, courts, religious places or any other area that may be declared as a silence zone by the authorities concerned.
Further, manufacture, sale and use of joined firecrackers (series crackers or laris) or fireworks containing barium salts/lithium/arsenic/antimony/led/mercury or fire crackers generating noise level exceeding 125 dB (AI) or 145 dB (C)pk at 4 meters distance from the point of bursting has been banned.
This order shall come into force with immediate effect and anyone found violating the order shall be penalized as per the provisions of law, CP stated.