365 calls went to 999 to get relief from noise pollution
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandkar Golam Farooq requested that no event be held in the open on Thirty First Night to welcome the New Year. But that request has been ignored in many cases. The city dwellers welcomed the Christian New Year with fireworks from the rooftops rather than open spaces. Old Dhaka, Mirpur and Mohammadpur were colorful with lanterns as it takes place on Paush-Sankranti or Saccharine evening.
As a result, 'Emergency Service 999' received 365 calls related to noise pollution from all over the country on the first hour of the New Year. Most of these complaints were related to fireworks. The Inspector 999 (Media) Anwar Sattar said that various cables and lanterns fell on houses and received reports of fire.
He said that after 12 midnight on December 31, 365 calls related to noise pollution were received from all over the country. Out of this only 160 calls from Dhaka metro area have to be served.
He also said that a call came from Mohammadpur's Iqbal Road at 12:09 PM regarding the fire incident from lanterns. However, the fire was extinguished before the fire service arrived.
The official also said that the news of this only fire was received on the 999 number related to the New Year celebration.
Meanwhile, despite the ban of the police, lanterns fell on the first watch of the New Year, apart from Mohammadpur, there were fires in three other places in Dhaka. One of them is Lalbagh in old Dhaka; the other is at Sadarghat and Mirpur.
Also, numerous lanterns flown on the night of New Year celebrations got stuck at various places on the metro rail's electrified line from Uttara to Agargaon. Metrorail movement was stopped from 8 am. After being closed for two hours, the metro rail service started again around 10 am. At 10:05 a.m. a train from Uttara station stopped at Agargaon station.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited Manager (Civil and P-Way) Mahfuzur Rahman said that the sweeping train came in the morning and saw lanterns stuck on the line. The movement of the train was stopped immediately. Sweeping trains are run in the morning to check the line. As many as 15 burnt and half-burnt lanterns have been removed so far.
On the 31st night of 2021, about 10 places in the capital caught fire when the lanterns fell. In just 20 minutes, about 200 fire reports came to the fire service and 999 control room from all over the country. In order not to repeat the incident, the DMP banned the flying of lanterns and fireworks in the capital. But the people of the city could not abide by the ban from Saturday evening.
