Chennai: Post-Diwali, roads in Chennai were left littered with fireworks waste and the air quality dipped to poor early Monday morning.
The air quality in Chennai’s Arumbakkam was recorded at 260 early this morning. It was recorded at 227 at Royapuram, it was 316 and at Manali and 301 in the Velachery area all in poor and very poor categories.
Remnants of firecrackers, eatables and other such garbage lay scattered on the roads of Chennai’s Kolathur, Villivakkam, Koyambedu and Perambur areas.
As per the Supreme Court’s orders, only eco-friendly green firecrackers were permitted across the country with time slots. The guidelines issued stated that a fine would be imposed on anyone bursting crackers at unstipulated times.
Similarly, several other cities across the country are waking up to polluted, haze-filled and smoggy air quality owing to the post-Diwali revelry on Sunday.
Firecracker waste lay accumulated on the streets and roads of India’s high-tech industry centre,
Bengaluru post-Diwali celebrations.
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had earlier issued an advisory, allowing people to burst crackers during Diwali but within allotted timings.
According to the advisory, people are allowed to burst crackers between 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 8 pm.
“As per the Supreme Court’s directions, people are requested to follow the dos and don’ts to celebrate a safe and pollution-free Diwali,” the advisory.
Meanwhile, Greater Chennai Police registered a total of 581 cases in the city in connection with violations concerning bursting of firecrackers.
Of the total cases, 554 were for bursting firecrackers beyond the time specified in the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.
Commissioner Sandeep Rai Rathore had given instructions to his officers to enforce the guidelines and police teams were on rounds in the city.
Police teams engaged in intensive surveillance from November 11 and as on Monday (November 13) morning, 554 cases related to bursting of firecrackers beyond the time were booked by Chennai Police.
Police also registered eight cases related to running firecracker shop in violation of Tamil Nadu Government rules and 19 cases regarding bursting of firecrackers with excessive noise.