Chennai: City cops book 237 cases for Deepavali firecracker violations

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Police have registered a total of 237 cases for violations related to bursting of firecrackers during Deepavali on Sunday (November 9).

As per the order of the Supreme Court and the guidelines issued by the Tamil Nadu government, bursting of firecrackers in Chennai was permitted for only two hours on Deepavali, from 6 am to 7 am and from 7 pm to 8 pm.

On the instructions of Chennai City Police Commissioner A Amalraj, inspectors and personnel of all police stations were engaged in continuous monitoring within their station limits, an official release stated.

Following intensive monitoring by the police teams, cases were registered for bursting firecrackers beyond the time permitted by the Supreme Court, for selling firecrackers without licence, and for bursting crackers with excessive noise.

Officials said 148 cases were registered for bursting crackers beyond the permitted time, 10 cases for selling crackers without licence, and 79 cases for bursting crackers with excessive noise. A total of 237 cases have been registered and action has been taken.

Earlier, the city police had asked residents to strictly follow the guidelines on timing restriction, and had warned of strict action if anyone was found flouting it.