Police to enforce fireworks ban during fest
Print Edition
IT may be a noise-free Spring Festival for residents of Shanghai if the authorities successfully manage to curb the enthusiasm for fireworks this year.
Starting January 1 this year, the city authorities have enforced a ban on fireworks inside the Outer Ring Road on all days, and throughout the city during heavily polluted days.
And they are working to ensure the ban works during the festival, when fireworks are the norm.
Shanghai will deploy at least 20,000 police officers during the festival period to enforce the ban and keep the city safe and clean, local authorities said yesterday.
Police have been told to be on duty or patrol the densely populated streets and communities between 4pm to 7am from February 7 to February 11, and on February 22, when people usually set off fireworks to ring in the New Chinese Year, welcome the God of Fortune and celebrate the Lantern Festival.
An estimated 260,000 volunteers will help the cops and promote safety awareness among people, spot illegal sales and lighting of fireworks. They will also help authorities to designate safety zones in communities and villages in areas outside the Outer Ring Road where fireworks are allowed.
A survey of 2,500 people conducted by Shanghai Statistics Bureau showed that about 40 percent of them still wanted to buy fireworks during the Spring Festival holiday, posing a huge test of strength for authorities, said Bai Shaokang, director of Shanghai Public Security Bureau.
“A strict ban enforced during the Spring Festival will hopefully help change people’s attitude about fireworks,” said Jiang Ping, Party secretary of the Shanghai Political and Law Commission.
Since the beginning of the new year, police and fire control officials have stopped 81 people from lighting fireworks and confiscated 14,155 boxes of illegally stored fireworks. Law enforcement authorities have also issued 232,900 yuan (US$35,400) in fines to violators.
Posters and notices regarding the fireworks ban have been put up in communities and densely populated areas, as well as at Metro stations and public transportation vehicles, authorities said yesterday.
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