Vijayawada, take a bow. It's a quieter Diwali this year

  • | Friday | 9th November, 2018

"Long-term exposure to high noise levels can cause hearing problems while the poor air quality leads to respiratory disorders," said Dr Ramana Rao. Even the St Anthony school area, considered as a silent zone, witnessed maximum noise levels of 95 decibels against the ambient noise level of 40 decibels. "Considering the price rise in crackers after the Supreme Court verdict, people did not indulge in a bursting a lot of firecrackers. APPCB aggregated the noise levels data from Pandurangapuram, King George Hospital, Kurupam Market, Jagadamba Junction, St. Anthony School and RTC Complex areas in the city.Dr R Ramana Rao, a general physician, opined that there would be long-term implications with the severe pollution levels. "It was a disaster.

VIJAYAWADA: Awareness drives by police and media houses including TV channels played a key role in ensuring that the city abided by the Supreme Court ruling on bursting firecrackers .The SC had ruled that firecrackers can be burst only for two hours between 8pm to 10 pm, in a move to clamp down on noise and air pollution.Speaking to TOI, city police commissioner Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said they chose to create awareness across all police station limits by releasing posters in this regard."Considering the price rise in crackers after the Supreme Court verdict, people did not indulge in a bursting a lot of firecrackers. A lot of places saw the cracker blasts subsiding by 9.30 pm itself," Tirumala Rao said.Police said they did not have to make any arrests as there were no complaints of nuisance or late-night bursting of crackers.Consistent aid from local TV channels in releasing scrollings, posters and also through their flagship 'Cheruva' programme, police reached out to people to ensure that the rule doesn't stand violated. Though there weren't any arrests, crackers did continue to burst notoriously at areas like Ibrahimpatnam, Bhavanipuram, Nidamanuru, Poranki and other outskirts of the city where police patrolling was minimal for the most part.This time around, Diwali was a major loss for fireworks traders as their attempts to sell their stocks even at throwaway prices did not bear much fruit. "It was a disaster. I invested almost Rs 5 lakh in purchasing the stocks and while I was initially confident that I would get at least Rs 50,000 profit, I could only hope that I would get back my investment in the end which too did not happen," B Srinivasa Rao, one of the stall owners at PWD Grounds, said.Some of the owners are now hoping that they can at least make a profit by the end of this year with Karthika Deepam, Christmas and New Year coming up. Compared to last year, the fireworks vendors said their business dropped drastically by 50% this year due to the ruling.It was a different story in Visakhapatnam, where residents flouted the SC ruling and burnt firecrackers well into the night.Vizagites burst crackers well beyond the stipulated time frame, pushing up pollution levels to alarming levels and registering the noisiest festival of lights the city has witnessed so far. On Wednesday night, a thick blanket of haze covered several parts of the city with a discernible deterioration in air quality.According to data provided by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board's (APPCB's) regional office in Visakhapatnam, noise levels hovered around 100 decibels from 6 pm to 11 pm on the festival night. Even the St Anthony school area, considered as a silent zone, witnessed maximum noise levels of 95 decibels against the ambient noise level of 40 decibels. APPCB aggregated the noise levels data from Pandurangapuram, King George Hospital, Kurupam Market, Jagadamba Junction, St. Anthony School and RTC Complex areas in the city.Dr R Ramana Rao, a general physician, opined that there would be long-term implications with the severe pollution levels. "Long-term exposure to high noise levels can cause hearing problems while the poor air quality leads to respiratory disorders," said Dr Ramana Rao.

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