The Chennai police have released an advisory to the public to safely celebrate the festival of Deepavali, which falls on Sunday, November 12. The guidelines stipulate that as per a Supreme Court order, only eco-friendly green firecrackers are permitted across the country, and they should be burst only from 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 8 pm. A fine will be imposed on anyone bursting crackers at unstipulated times. The guidelines also stress that Chinese crackers are not to be sold or purchased. 

On November 7, the apex court stated that the use of firecrackers that are filled with barium salts and other banned chemicals is banned in the entire nation. Joined crackers (rows of crackers joined together) are also not to be used. Green crackers with reduced emissions are permitted, but their noise levels should remain within permissible limits, the court said.

The police advisory further states people should avoid setting off fireworks close to livestock, and not burst crackers on busy roads and near hut tenements. In case of emergencies, people can reach out to the Police and Fire Services departments via the numbers 100 and 101 respectively. For medical emergencies, the numbers 108 and 112 can be contacted. Up to 18,000 police personnel have been stationed across the city as part of security arrangements.