Bengaluru: Police to increase patrolling during Diwali

Bengaluru: This Diwali promises to be a long and noisy one with people in the city being allowed to burst crackers from 8 pm to 10 pm not only on the day of the festival but on four days of the week, from November 5 to 8.

Seeing that the celebrations are being prolonged on the orders of the Supreme Court, the city police is trying to make sure that people don’t take advantage of them and do as they please. The jurisdictional police will carry out intense patrolling in every area from 7 pm to 11 pm  to ensure that people burst crackers only within the given timeframe, say department sources.

Notes a senior police officer, “This is the first time that such a rule is in force.  It will be difficult to enforce unless the public cooperates. But this being a sensitive issue, it will have to be addressed carefully.”

He reveals that besides increasing its patrolling, the police has appealed to people  to make  use of  social media or contact the control room on phone to report the bursting of crackers before or after the stipulated time.

“If there is constant bursting of crackers beyond the permissible time, it will be dealt with strictly according to the law. As there are chances that those guilty may leave before we get to them, we will gather footage from nearby CCTV cameras to nab them,” explains the officer.

“We will  start experimenting with various ways to ensure that the rule on bursting crackers is not violated during the festival. If people act responsibly,  the police’s job will be much easier,” he concludes.