After 42 Fires In One Night, Nagpur Bans Sky Rockets Till November 30

Nagpur: The Diwali celebrations had barely faded when Nagpur declared that the city could not afford another night with multiple fire incidents reported from various corners of the city. A day after Deepawali celebrations filled the sky with light and sound, the city moved to ground one of the most unpredictable parts of the festival, which was the firecrackers that shoot upwards and land where no one can control them.

The Nagpur administration imposed a ban on the aerial fireworks after a difficult night for the fire services. As per reports, on November 8, as families gathered for Lakshmi Puja during Diwali, emergency teams across Nagpur were called out again and again, responding to fires linked to celebratory fireworks. The night, which was meant to be a night of devotion, turned several neighbourhoods into a night of sirens and smoke.

Following the multiple fire incidents, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has stepped in, not with a general ban on all fireworks, but with a targeted restriction on the category believed to carry the greatest risk.

As per the notification issued by the Nagpur civic body, a ban has been imposed on sky rockets, rocket shots, aerial shells and other flying firecrackers across the city. The restriction came into force at 4 pm on November 9, and will remain in place until 11.59 pm on November 30.

The order is deliberately focused as it does not seek to end every form of festivity, but to remove the fireworks that rise into the air and can descend onto rooftops and other combustible material. In a densely built city, such a landing can turn celebration into a serious fire within seconds.

The officials stated that the trigger was the scale of incidents reported during Diwali on November 8. According to the information cited in the order, 42 fire incidents were reported across the city that day, a figure that alarmed the civic officials and showed how quickly aerial fireworks can create emergencies across Nagpur.

Each call meant a team diverted and a neighbourhood placed on alert. The civic body concluded that waiting for another such night would be an avoidable risk.

Now, the Nagpur police have been directed to take necessary legal action against violators. As per the information, the violations may attract action under Sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). 

The Nagpur administration has given a clear message with the new notification that celebrate a festival with care and remember that one stray rocket can undo the joy of a neighbourhood.