The DFS attended as many as 152 distress calls till 12 p.m., which is less than 25 per cent from the last year while 36 calls were received post-midnight till early morning, Garg said while talking to IANS. Among them, nearly four calls are suspected due to crackers, he said.

 

As compared to previous years, there has been a slight fall in accident cases of fire triggered by the burning of crackers.

 

According to data, while 271 fire incidents were registered in 2018, it came down to 205 last year. In 2019, there were 245 cases.

 

However, despite the ban on firecrackers, on Thursday, the city witnessed people bursting them on streets against the government's painstaking efforts and initiatives such as the 'Patakhe Nahi Diye Jalao' campaign.

 

The Fire Department was all set for the festival with a heavy deployment of fire personnel -- nearly 2,800 staff and over 200 fire engines apart from deploying 30 fire units across the national capital.

 

On Diwali night, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) fell to the 'severe' category with the majority of the cities crossing the 400-mark, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

 

Delhi's air quality worsened despite a complete ban on firecrackers. In the whole National Capital Region (NCR) people burst firecrackers.

 

Earlier, the Meteorological agencies had predicted an AQI of 500 plus for Thursday and Friday when Delhiites burst firecrackers on Diwali day and night.