Kolkata Diwali and Kali Puja 2026 Firecracker Rules: Timings, Green Crackers, Shop Licences and Official West Bengal Updates

Quick answer: In Kolkata, Kali Puja and Diwali fall together on Sunday 8 November 2026. In recent years the rule has been green crackers only, with a QR code, burst only between 8 PM and 10 PM on Kali Puja and Diwali night, with separate short windows for Chhath and for Christmas and New Year. As of 25 October 2026 no 2026 order found, so the timings below are last year's, labelled as history. Kolkata Police usually issues its notice only days before Kali Puja.

Part of: Diwali 2026 cracker rules by state

1. Kolkata firecracker timings (Kali Pujo baji timing)

2026: not yet announced as of 25 October 2026.

2025 (history): a Kolkata Police notification signed by the Police Commissioner allowed fireworks only between 8 PM and 10 PM on Kali Puja and Diwali night, and set a 6 AM to 8 AM window on the Chhath morning for green crackers. This was reported by the Times of India on 18 October 2025. (Official text not independently checked by HinduTone.)

Christmas and New Year (history): for New Year's Eve 2023 WBPCB allowed 11:55 PM to 12:30 AM, green fireworks only (Times of India, 30 December 2023). This matches the Supreme Court's national window for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

HinduTone was unable to open the WBPCB website from its server, so it could not read the board's published guidance document itself. Until the 2026 notices appear, the safe assumption is the Supreme Court's national default: 8 PM to 10 PM on Diwali, and no sound-emitting crackers after 10 PM.

All rows are from news reports; the official text was not independently checked by HinduTone.

2. Green crackers only (sobuj baji): QR code and CSIR-NEERI

Green crackers are made to CSIR-NEERI formulations with lower emissions. In West Bengal the QR code is the test:

• In 2021 WBPCB told the police that no cracker counts as green unless it carries NEERI certification, checked by scanning its QR code (Times of India, 3 November 2021).
• In 2022 the Calcutta High Court said only green crackers bearing a QR code could be sold at the Bazi Bazar, with PESO and NEERI to help WBPCB and the police (Times of India, 12 October 2022).
• In 2025 WBPCB allowed only green fireworks bearing a QR code during Kali Puja and Diwali, and the High Court asked for strict enforcement (Times of India, 17 October 2025).

Before you pay, scan the QR code. If it does not lead to a CSIR-NEERI verification, or the box has no green logo, do not buy it. In 2025 Kolkata Police also gave sellers a list of approved green manufacturers (Times of India, 18 October 2025).

3. Conventional crackers are restricted

Ordinary, non-green crackers are not allowed. Nationally, the Supreme Court has banned barium salts in fireworks and joined crackers ("series" or "laris"). In Kolkata, police raids before Kali Puja regularly seize illegal crackers: in the days before Kali Puja 2025, about 2,900 kg had been seized and seven people arrested, several cases under the Explosives Act (Times of India, 18 October 2025). Buying, storing or bursting banned crackers can lead to seizure and criminal cases.

The national baseline: what applies everywhere in India

Whatever West Bengal announces for 2026, a few national rules apply across India. HinduTone read these in the original texts:

• Green crackers only. In Arjun Gopal v. Union of India (judgment of 23 October 2018), the Supreme Court allowed only "improved" and "green" crackers with reduced emissions, and directed that sale be only through licensed traders. CSIR-NEERI (the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) developed the green-cracker formulations and registers manufacturers; genuine green crackers carry the CSIR-NEERI green logo and a QR code.
• Barium salts and joined crackers banned. The same judgment banned barium salts in fireworks and banned the manufacture, sale and use of joined firecrackers ("series crackers" or "laris").
• No online sales (2018 direction). The 2018 judgment told e-commerce websites not to accept online orders for firecrackers.
• The 8 to 10 PM default. Direction (xiv) of the 2018 judgment limited bursting on Diwali and similar festivals to 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve to 11:55 PM to 12:30 AM, and said this applies throughout India. Some states have asked for, and announced, different two-hour windows; where a state has issued its own order, follow that order.
• Night-time noise limit. Rule 5A(2) of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 (added in 2010) says sound-emitting firecrackers shall not be burst in a silence zone or during night time, which rule 2(j) defines as 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
• Silence zones. Under the same rules, an area of not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions and courts may be declared a silence zone by the state government.
• Police responsibility. The 2018 judgment made the local police responsible for ensuring that fireworks happen only at the permitted times and that banned crackers are not sold, with the Station House Officer personally answerable for violations.

Read the texts: Supreme Court judgment of 23 October 2018 (PDF) and Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, CPCB consolidated text (PDF).

2026: the Supreme Court is hearing the issue again. On 30 September 2026 a bench said it would neither impose a complete ban nor allow round-the-clock fireworks, and would look for "specified time" windows; the Centre also asked it to consider a conditional relaxation for CSIR-NEERI's "next-generation joined green crackers" with reduced barium (reported by DT Next, from PTI, on 30 September 2026). On 12 October 2026 the Chief Justice's bench, hearing the Delhi-NCR pollution case, favoured designated hours and public awareness (reported by The New Indian Express on 13 October 2026). Official texts were not independently checked. As of 25 October 2026 HinduTone found no new order changing the 2018 directions on timings, barium or joined crackers; if the court issues one before Diwali, it will override what is written here.

In October 2025 the Supreme Court (M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, order of 15 October 2025) again allowed only NEERI-approved green crackers for Delhi-NCR, and noted cases where green-cracker QR codes had been sold to unregistered makers. That order was specific to Delhi-NCR, but it is a useful warning everywhere: scan the QR code and buy only from a licensed shop. (Supreme Court order of 15 October 2025, PDF.)

4. Kali Puja night: special rules to know

Kali Puja is a night festival, and many pandals hold the main worship close to midnight. That does not extend the cracker window: the Noise Rules ban sound-emitting crackers from 10 PM to 6 AM, and the 2025 Kolkata Police window ended at 10 PM.

• Separate notice: Kolkata Police issues its own Kali Puja and Diwali notification each year, usually a few days before the festival. Read the 2026 one when it is out.
• Rooftops and balconies: in 2025 Bidhannagar City Police barred residents of high-rises in Salt Lake, New Town, Rajarhat, Lake Town and near the airport from going onto terraces after 5 PM from 19 to 23 October, to stop sky lanterns and rockets that could endanger aircraft and start fires (Times of India, 19 October 2025).
• Sky lanterns (fanush): Kolkata Police seized sky lanterns in 2025 and treated them as a fire risk. Do not release them.
• Never throw crackers from roofs, balconies or at pandals, processions, people or animals.
• Pandals: keep crackers well away from pandals, which are built of bamboo, cloth and decorations that burn easily.

5. Shop licences and the Bazi Bazar

Selling fireworks needs a licence under the Explosives Rules, 2008. Temporary festival-season shop licences are granted locally (in a police commissionerate such as Kolkata, through the police), and fire safety clearance comes from the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services (WBFES). Licences for manufacture and large storage are handled by PESO. Check the current process on the official portals below; HinduTone could not open them from its server.

Each year organised cracker fairs, the Bazi Bazars, are held in the city. In 2025 the Times of India reported (15 October 2025) that Bazi Bazars were being organised by the Sara Bangla Atasbazi Unnayan Samiti, and its 18 October report mentioned fairs at the Maidan, Tala, Behala and Kalikapur. The 2026 venues and dates had not been officially announced as of 25 October 2026.

• Buy only from a licensed stall; ask to see the licence.
• Check every box for the green logo and QR code; the 2022 High Court order limited Bazi Bazar sales to QR-coded green crackers.
• Keep your bill. Do not store large quantities of crackers at home.
• For licensing questions, check the Kolkata Police, WBFES and West Bengal government portals listed below.

6. Can I buy crackers online?

Be very careful. The Supreme Court's 2018 judgment told e-commerce websites not to accept online orders for firecrackers, and said sale must be only through licensed traders. Crackers delivered by courier also cannot be checked before you pay. Buy in person from a licensed seller.

7. Police jurisdictions: Kolkata, Howrah, Salt Lake, New Town and Barrackpore

Greater Kolkata is policed by several commissionerates. Each issues or enforces its own notice, usually repeating the state rules. HinduTone does not have separate pages for them.

• Kolkata Police: the city of Kolkata. Its Commissioner signs the yearly Kali Puja and Diwali fireworks notification.
• Howrah City Police: Howrah city.
• Bidhannagar City Police: Salt Lake (Bidhannagar), New Town, Rajarhat, Lake Town and areas near the airport.
• Barrackpore Police Commissionerate: the North 24 Parganas belt north of Kolkata along the river.
• Elsewhere in West Bengal: the district police, with WBPCB directions.

In an emergency call 112. Complaints about cracker violations can be made to your local police station.

8. Hospitals, schools and housing societies

Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, sound-emitting crackers may not be burst in a silence zone (an area of not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions and courts, where declared) or between 10 PM and 6 AM. Keep well away from hospitals, nursing homes and schools.

For housing societies and high-rises:

• Pick one open ground-level area for bursting, away from parked cars, gas lines and transformers.
• Keep terraces closed after dark during the festival, as Bidhannagar police required in 2025.
• Burst only in the official window, with a volunteer and fire extinguishers ready.
• Keep a quiet space for elderly residents, babies, patients and pets.

9. Noise limits: what the numbers mean

HinduTone does not give a single "universal" decibel figure, because the rules work at two levels:

• Cracker noise standard: the limit a cracker may produce when tested, set nationally under the Environment (Protection) Rules (see the CPCB fire crackers noise rules page). West Bengal kept a stricter 90 dB limit for many years; the Times of India reported on 29 October 2024 that WBPCB had raised it to 125 dB to match national standards, after a Calcutta High Court order of October 2023.
• When and where you may burst: the Noise Rules, 2000 ban sound-emitting crackers between 10 PM and 6 AM and in silence zones.

In short: buy only certified green crackers, avoid loud "bombs", and stop by 10 PM.

12 safety tips for Diwali night

1. Buy only from a licensed shop and keep the bill. Check for the CSIR-NEERI green logo and scan the QR code on the box.
2. Burst crackers only in an open space, away from parked vehicles, dry leaves, thatched roofs, gas cylinders and electric lines.
3. Keep a full bucket of water and a bucket of sand nearby. Put used sparklers and duds straight into the water.
4. Wear close-fitting cotton clothes. Avoid loose silk or synthetic saris, dupattas and kurtas near flames.
5. Children must always be supervised by an adult. Give younger children only hand-held sparklers, held at arm's length.
6. Light crackers with a long agarbatti or incense stick, at arm's length, and step back at once. Never lean over a cracker.
7. Never relight a dud. Wait several minutes, then soak it in water.
8. Never burst crackers inside a home, on a balcony, in a stairwell or in a car park, and never throw them at people or animals.
9. Keep pets indoors in a quiet room; street dogs, cows and birds are badly frightened by loud bursts.
10. People with asthma, heart conditions, newborns and older relatives are best kept indoors with windows closed.
11. For a burn, cool it under clean running water for several minutes and seek medical help. Do not apply ice, toothpaste or oil.
12. Know the emergency numbers: 112 (all emergencies), 101 (fire) and 108 (ambulance in most states).

Eco-friendly ways to celebrate

Kali Puja and Diwali in Bengal are already full of light: the fourteen lamps (choddo prodeep) on Bhoot Chaturdashi, rows of earthen lamps on Kali Puja night and alpana on the floor. Some ideas:

• Light clay diyas with sesame or ghee, and fill the doorway with rangoli, kolam or muggulu made from rice flour and flower petals.
• Choose a short, shared community display in a permitted open space instead of many separate bursts in every lane.
• Use sky-safe lights: LED strings, paper lanterns (akash kandil) and torans of fresh mango leaves and marigolds.
• Spend the evening on Lakshmi Puja, a family aarti and sweets with neighbours; it is the heart of the festival.
• If you buy crackers, buy fewer, choose green crackers with a valid QR code, and avoid high-noise bombs.

Frequently asked questions

What are the firecracker timings in Kolkata for Kali Puja and Diwali 2026?

No 2026 order had been published when HinduTone checked on 25 October 2026. In 2025, Kolkata Police allowed fireworks only from 8 PM to 10 PM on Kali Puja and Diwali night, as reported by the Times of India on 18 October 2025. The Supreme Court's national default is also 8 PM to 10 PM. Kali Puja and Diwali fall on Sunday 8 November 2026; watch for the Kolkata Police notice a few days before.

Are only green crackers allowed in Kolkata?

Yes, that has been the rule in recent years. WBPCB has allowed only green fireworks bearing a QR code during the festival (Times of India, 17 October 2025), and the Calcutta High Court in 2022 said only green crackers with a QR code could be sold at the Bazi Bazar.

How do I check whether a cracker is green?

Look for the CSIR-NEERI green logo and scan the QR code on the box. In 2021 WBPCB told the police that a cracker is green only if it carries NEERI certification that can be checked by scanning its QR code (Times of India, 3 November 2021).

Is there a separate window for Chhath, Christmas and New Year?

In 2025 Kolkata Police set 6 AM to 8 AM on the Chhath morning for green crackers (Times of India, 18 October 2025). For New Year's Eve 2023, WBPCB allowed 11:55 PM to 12:30 AM (Times of India, 30 December 2023). These are past windows; check the 2026 notices. Chhath Puja falls on Sunday 15 November 2026.

Can I burst crackers from my rooftop or balcony?

Avoid it. In 2025, Bidhannagar City Police barred residents of high-rises in Salt Lake, New Town, Rajarhat, Lake Town and near the airport from terraces after 5 PM from 19 to 23 October, to stop sky lanterns and crackers (Times of India, 19 October 2025). Throwing crackers from roofs or balconies endangers people below and can start fires.

Where can I buy crackers legally in Kolkata?

Only from licensed sellers, such as the stalls at the organised Bazi Bazars, and only green crackers with a valid QR code. Do not buy loose crackers or from unlicensed sellers. The 2026 Bazi Bazar locations had not been officially announced as of 25 October 2026.

What is the noise limit for crackers in West Bengal?

There is no single number you can rely on for every situation. West Bengal had a stricter 90 dB limit for many years; the Times of India reported on 29 October 2024 that WBPCB had revised it to 125 dB, in line with the rest of India. Separately, the national Noise Rules forbid sound-emitting crackers between 10 PM and 6 AM and in silence zones.

Official sources

• West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB)
• Kolkata Police
• West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services (WBFES)
• Government of West Bengal portal
• CPCB: fire crackers noise rules
• Supreme Court of India: Arjun Gopal v. Union of India, judgment of 23 October 2018 (PDF)
• Supreme Court of India: M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, order of 15 October 2025 (PDF)
• CPCB: Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 (PDF)
• CSIR-NEERI (green crackers)
• PESO: Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (fireworks licences)
• Times of India, 18 October 2025: Kolkata Police 8 PM to 10 PM window and Chhath window
• Times of India, 28 September 2026: Calcutta High Court seeks WBPCB roadmap

The West Bengal government websites above did not load from the HinduTone server on 25 October 2026; they are where the 2026 notices will appear.

Closing note

Kali Puja is about inner light defeating darkness. Enjoy it with diyas, the puja and your neighbours, keep crackers to the permitted window, and look out for elderly people, children and animals around you. Last verified: 25 October 2026. Editor's note (25 October 2026): the 2026 West Bengal and Kolkata Police notices had not been published when HinduTone checked; this page will be updated when they are.

Disclaimer: This page is general information for families, not legal advice. Rules are set by the state government, the pollution control board, the police and the courts, and they can change at short notice, often only days before Diwali. Always follow the latest official notice for your area. If in doubt, ask your local police station.

Also read: firecracker rules in other Indian cities

• Delhi Diwali 2026 firecracker rules
• Mumbai and Maharashtra Diwali 2026 firecracker rules
• Hyderabad Diwali 2026 firecracker rules
• Telangana Diwali 2026 firecracker rules
• Bengaluru and Karnataka Diwali 2026 firecracker rules
• Chennai and Tamil Nadu Deepavali 2026 firecracker rules
• Andhra Pradesh Diwali 2026 firecracker rules (Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Guntur)
• Diwali 2026: complete 5-day guide, dates and Lakshmi Puja muhurat
• Eco-friendly, cracker-free Diwali 2026: ideas for families
• Diwali cracker safety: protecting people, street dogs and birds