In Delhi, people flouted the ban imposed on firecrackers by the city government.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had last week said that bursting of crackers in the national capital on Diwali will attract a jail term of up to six months and a fine of Rs 200.
According to news agency PTI, people in Delhi violated the ban on firecrackers imposed by the city government as a large number of high-decibel crackers roared in the national capital on the night of Diwali on Monday, October 24.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had last week said that bursting of crackers in the national capital on Diwali will attract a jail term of up to six months and a fine of Rs 200.
Despite legal restrictions in place, people in several parts of the city, including south and north-west Delhi, started bursting crackers early in the evening. High-intensity firecrackers could be heard on the ground or in the air.
And, as the night progressed, the intensity of the firecrackers exceeded the permissible decibel limit, leading some to wonder 'was there a restriction'.
The bursting of crackers on Diwali is an age-old tradition, but officials in Delhi said the decision to ban it was taken after considering environmental concerns and the health hazards associated with it.
Delhi's air quality turned "very poor" on Monday amid moderate adverse meteorological conditions allowing stubble burning, bursting of crackers and accumulation of pollutants.
However, the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 312 was still the second best for Diwali in seven years. The city recorded an AQI of 281 on Diwali in 2018, PTI reported.
Earlier in the day, experts feared that if the quantity of crackers increases again this year, the air quality is likely to deteriorate further.
If firecrackers go off like last year, the air quality may drop to the "severe" level on Diwali night itself and remain in the "red" zone for another day, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) previously predicted.
Delhi Environment Minister Rai had earlier said that production, storage and sale of firecrackers in the city could attract a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and three years in jail under Section 9B of the Explosives Act.
A total of 408 teams were formed to enforce the ban.
Delhi Police constituted 210 teams under Assistant Commissioners of Police, while Revenue Department constituted 165 teams and Delhi Pollution Control Committee 33 teams.
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