From north to south Kolkata, holy night least silent in recent times; hospitals reel under noise assault

Kolkata: The city reeled under one of its worst noise assaults in recent times on Diwali night, as banned high-decibel crackers were burst across neighbourhoods well beyond the permitted 8pm-10pm window, with violations continuing into the early hours.Many localities had endured a similar spell of relentless cracker-bursting on the eve of Kali Puja, too.Eleven persons were arrested till 8.30pm on Sunday for bursting banned firecrackers. Around 50kg of illegal crackers were seized in the evening.The state pollution control board (PCB) had received 14 complaints by 9.30pm on Sunday, compared to only four on Saturday. Sources said the complaints were mostly from Haridevpur, Baguiati, Sonarpur, Phoolbagan, Kasba, Patuli, Golf Green and Taltala. A source said five PCB teams reported noise norm violations from across the city.Naba Datta, secretary of Sabuj Mancha, which works for the protection of the environment, said they had come across firecracker explosions on the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital premises on Sunday evening. “The noise levels were above 80 decibel at RG Kar and about 100 decibel at Dr BC Roy Children’s Hospital in the evening,” he said. The ambient noise level in hospitals should not cross 40 decibel after sundown.The noise pollution was compounded by a sharp fall in the city’s air quality. Hourly data from Saturday evening till Sunday morning showed Salt Lake’s PM2.5 level rising from 117 at 4pm to 330 at 11pm and peaking at 336 at 1am. It rose from 148 to 321 in Ballygunge and 159 to 326 in Jadavpur between 4pm and 11pm on Saturday. At Fort William, PM2.5 rose from 120 at 4pm on Saturday to 268 at 1am on Sunday. Rabindra Bharati University recorded a PM 2.5 level of 265 at 3pm on Saturday, while it reached 233 around 3am on Sunday at Victoria Memorial.PM2.5 between 201 and 300 is considered poor, and between 301 and 400, very poor.The barrage began soon after 8pm, intensified sharply after 10pm and continued all over the city till early hours. In many places, the sound demon started rearing its head even before 8pm. Chocolate bombs and other high-decibel fireworks were set off repeatedly in residential localities, including areas close to hospitals and other silent zones. While police action was visible in some pockets, residents across Kolkata said enforcement was lax.Among the worst-affected areas were New Alipore, Golf Green, Kalighat, Garia, Kasba and Sarsuna in south Kolkata; Taltala, Girish Park and Jorabagan in central Kolkata; and Kankurgachhi, Maniktala, Nagerbazar, Sinthee, Ultadanga, Lake Town, Bangur Avenue, Baguiati, Narkeldanga and Kestopur in the north and on northeastern fringes.Residents reported indiscriminate cracker bursting from upscale Wood Street, Theatre Road, Minto Park, Ballygunge Circular Road, Chakraberia and Lansdowne. Residents off EM Bypass, near Mukundapur, Salt Lake, Amherst Street, College Street, Kasba and Golf Green said they heard continuous sounds of firecracker explosions.“I live with elderly parents. A group of men was bursting chocolate bombs just outside my home. I pleaded with them to stop, but they paid no heed. I called police. By the time a jeep arrived, they had left. But they were back as soon as the cops left,” said Aditya Roy, a resident of Sinthee.“I take sleeping pills at night. Yet, for the past two nights, I was unable to sleep. On Saturday night, the torture continued till 3am,” said Rupsa Saha, who lives in an apartment beside Manipal Hospital in Dhakuria.The impact was also visible on animals and birds. “Dogs and cats were running helter-skelter, while frightened birds suddenly took flight after midnight as crackers continued exploding,” said Animesh Bhattacharya, a resident of Garia.Hospitals were not spared. On Kali Puja-eve, the ambient noise level reached 72.7 decibel at RG Kar hospital around midnight and 58.2 decibel at SSKM Hospital around 12.30am.Central Pollution Control Board prescribes an ambient noise ceiling of 45 decibel for residential areas between 10pm and 6am. Available estimates indicated that nighttime noise levels during the festive period ranged between 85 and 110-plus decibel during the period.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in KolkataStay updated with the latest Kolkata news. Download the TOI App.