MUMBAI: After banning firecrackers in the city except on the main night of Diwali, the BMC is now discussing with police a plan to impose Section 144 of the CrPC or other related provisions during the festival to prohibit movement of people in groups and control the spread of Covid-19, reports Vijay V Singh. A decision is expected after discussions with the government.
Also, officials have begun visiting the bigger cracker stockists, requesting them to shift noise and smoke-emitting products to their warehouses and make only lighter ones like fountains and sparklers available for sale. These have been allowed for use on November 14, the Laxmi Puja day.
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After announcing a ban on fireworks except on the main Diwali night, civic authorities may be throwing a bigger dampener by invoking harsh laws against movement in groups. It is one thing to warn against large gatherings and indiscriminate use of firecrackers and quite another to start booking people on the eve of a festival marked by lights and celebrated with family. The pandemic should not become an excuse for whimsical use of power.
On Monday, BMC chief I S Chahal held a meeting with colleagues and joint police commissioner Vishwas Nagre-Patil to discuss modalities of placing curbs on large scale public movement and checks on pollution during Diwali. Nagre-Patil said, “Apart from police, the civic authority and district collectors also have powers to restrict gathering of over 5-7 people.”
Though Covid infections in the city have fallen significantly since the peak in May-August, there are fears Mumbai may be lowering its guard. After steps taken to unlock social and economic activity, experts worry that the city may be on the cusp of a second wave.
The sheer number of shoppers converging on markets in the run-up to Diwali has made officials uneasy. BMC has already started to advise housing societies and clubs to steer clear of organising get-togethers or parties on their premises.
Officials have also decided that BMC and police will work together to ensure that noiseand smoke-emitting firecrackers are not available on the shelves. The authorities have decided to seize the louder and more smoky products if shopkeepers fail to shift them out.
Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani said, “We have analyzed crowd patterns at specific places. For instance, at Dadar, near Plaza, there is more crowding during morning hours. We have deployed staff there to control overcrowding and ensure that customers and sellers (mostly vegetables) wear masks.”
A civic official said given that BMC staff work during office hours and fireworks are mostly burst late evening or night, monitoring is a challenge. He said to deter groups from moving around in public places, “BMC and police have decided to form a joint team to act against such violators under the Epidemics Act.”
Minesh Mehta of the Mumbai-Thane Fireworks Dealers Welfare Association, said, “We welcome BMC’s decision, we’ve shifted high decibel fireworks to godowns.”