Kolkata, 21 October (H.S.): Amid the smoke and reverberations of firecrackers during Kali Puja and Diwali celebrations in West Bengal, air quality in some areas of Kolkata was recorded as poor on Tuesday morning.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality remained in the tolerable category in most areas of Kolkata as of 9 a.m. Tuesday, but the air around Victoria Memorial was poor, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 239.

The Pollution Control Board and police had permitted only green firecrackers to be burned. A time limit was also set, but the rules were violated in many areas. As a result, the amount of gunpowder and smoke in the air increased on the night of Kali Puja.

According to the CPCB, on Tuesday morning, Ballygunge recorded an AQI of 167, Bidhannagar 165, Fort William 143, Jadavpur 200, Rabindra Bharati University 135, and Rabindra Sarovar 142, all in the tolerable category, while the area around the Victoria Memorial remained in the poor category.

The situation in Howrah also remained worrisome. Belur Math recorded an AQI of 206 and Padmapukur 241, both in the poor category, while Botanical Garden recorded 185, Dasnagar 152, and Ghushudi 92, which is tolerable.

Environmental activists said that while the situation in Kolkata and Howrah is currently better than in Delhi, but it cannot be called safe. Environmentalist Subhash Dutta said that people are still not aware. Kolkata's air quality is certainly better than Delhi's, but it's not completely safe for health. Noise pollution also needs to be considered.

Notably, Kolkata Police arrested 183 people for violating traffic rules on the nights of Diwali and Kali Puja and seized 852 kilograms of banned firecrackers. According to police, a total of 8,422 kilograms of banned firecrackers have been seized in the past ten days.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey