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To keep the national capital pollution-free during Diwali as per the Supreme Court's directives, Delhi Police went on a major drive in the run-up to the festival, carrying out raids in search of illegal fireworks and arresting the violators.

Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik himself inspected various parts of the city on Diwali night and distributed sweets to on duty personnel, Delhi Police HQ spokesman, Assistant Commissioner Anil Mittal told IANS on Monday.

The Delhi Police swung into action much ahead of Diwali to ensure that the orders of the Supreme Court are adhered to, and on Diwali itself, the Commissioner was out on the roads from 9 p.m. to inspect the security arrangements and encourage the personnel working on the festival day, away from home and family, he said.

Patnaik went around the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, IP Estate, the Police Control Room in Central Delhi district, the Police HQs, Connaught Place, the Chilla outpost on the Delhi-Noida border in East District, Haiderpur, and various other places. He continued on his rounds till midnight.

The sight of their chief out on Diwali night raised the morale of the deployed personnel, and to cap it all, Patnaik wished and distributed sweets to them.

According to information with IANS, it was possibly the first time in the last two decades that the Delhi Police chief had distributed sweets to personnel on duty, instead of a scolding.

This was not all. The Delhi Police, all geared up to combat pollution from the use of illegal fire-crackers, had notched up a big success by Diwali night, arresting nearly 500 people for various violations of the law. As many as 315 cases were filed against those flouting the Supreme Court's ban on bursting of crackers after 10 p.m. and 166 people were arrested.

A total of 56 cases were filed for violation of the Explosives Ordinance, and 44 people were arrested in this connection. The Control Room received 940 calls reporting big and small matters.

Mittal also told IANS that the licensing branch and the district police carried out joint operations to seize illegal fireworks and had seized nearly 10,000 kg of these.

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