Kolkata police get 434 noise complaints over Kali Puja and Diwali; 205 arrested
Noise in silence zones went above 80 decibels, and the State pollution control board received 84 more complaints.
Kolkata Police received 434 complaints about noise during Kali Puja and Diwali, and 205 people were arrested for illegal firecrackers, The Times of India reported on 10 November.
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board received 84 complaints of its own. Noise in the city’s silence zones, the areas around hospitals, schools and courts, went above 80 decibels, according to the report.
Under India’s noise pollution rules, the limit in silence zones is 50 decibels by day and 40 at night. Every 10 decibels is about a doubling of how loud a sound seems.
Kali Puja and Diwali fell on 8 November this year. Several fires were also reported across Kolkata on the night, including at a medical college hostel.
The police had not given a breakdown of the complaints by area when this story was published.
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