By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:As on 06.11.2026 a total of _442 licenses_ have been granted for temporary firecracker shops in Bhubaneswar UPD. This includes Jatni 121, Khandagiri 75, Balianta 48, Chandrasekharpur 46, Infovalley 42, Mancheswar 27, Badagada 20, Nayapalli 18, Pahal 10, Tamando 09, Airfield 08, Dhauli 08, Nandankanan 06 and Chandaka 04.
To curb illegal sale and use of banned, high-decibel and foreign-made firecrackers, two dedicated inspection teams have been formed by DCP, Bhubaneswar for the period from 04.11.2026 to 08.11.2026.
_Team-I is led by Sri Sarat Chandra Patra, ACP Headquarters._ The team comprises Insp. Jyoti Prakash Sahoo, Infocity PS and SI P.K. Mahal, Reserve Office, Bhubaneswar UPD from Police, Sri Bishnu Narayan Senapati, Junior Laboratory Assistant and Sri Pramod Kumar Swain, Assistant Station Officer, Kalpana Fire Station from Fire Services. The team will cover Capital, Kharavelnagar, Shree Lingaraj, Airport, Airfield, Dhauli, Laxmisagar and Badagada side.
_Team-II is led by Smt. Mamata Nayak, OPS, ACP Headquarters._ The team comprises Insp. D. Baliarsingh, Reserve Office, Bhubaneswar UPD and SI A.K. See, Tamando PS from Police, Sri Soumya Ranjan Mallick, Assistant Environmental Scientist, Sri Prasanta Kumar Nayak, Field Assistant and Sri Nagendra Bhola, Assistant Station Officer from Fire Services. The team will cover Jatni, Infovalley, Khandagiri, Tamando, Mancheswar, Nayapalli, Saheednagar, Chandrasekharpur, Infocity, Nandankanan, Chandaka, Pahal, Balianta and Balipatna side.
Both teams are inspecting validity of licenses, fire safety measures and seizing illegal and foreign origin firecrackers.
_Action Taken:_ During the special drive from 20.10.2026 to 06.11.2026, a total of _08 cases_ have been registered in Bhubaneswar UPD for illegal sale and storage of firecrackers. This includes 02 cases in Balianta PS and 01 case each in Airfield, Balipatna, Capital, Jatni, Nandankanan and _Mancheswar PS_. In these cases, _illegal firecrackers worth around Rs. 15 lakhs_ have been seized. Legal action under Explosives Act and BNS is being taken against the violators.
_Police Arrangement on Diwali Day 08.11.2026:_ Elaborate arrangement has been made to maintain law and order and for traffic regulation on Diwali night. A total of 27 Sections of force have been deployed across all 24 PSs, with static deployment at 14 important squares and intensive mobile and PCR patrolling under Addl. DCP Control Room. Striking force has been kept ready at Reserve Office. All officers have been instructed to enforce bursting of crackers only between 7 PM to 9 PM as per Hon’ble Supreme Court guidelines and in silence zones.
Bhubaneswar Police appeals to citizens to purchase firecrackers only from licensed shops, use only green crackers and report illegal sale on 112.
