Kolkata, Oct 21 (PTI) Kolkata and Howrah's air quality deteriorated sharply on Kali Puja night as firecrackers were burst beyond the permissible hours of 8 pm to 10 pm, flouting guidelines issued by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) and police, environmentalists said on Tuesday.

A WBPCB official said while the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 186 PM 2.5 at Victoria Memorial in the city, it touched 364 at Belur in Howrah at 10 pm on Monday.

An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘very poor’, and above 300 is classified as ‘severe’.

At Padmapukur, the AQI read 361, while it breached the 252 mark at Ghusuri, both in Howrah district.

In Kolkata's Ballygunge, the AQI touched 173, while at Jadavpur it was 169 at 10 pm, the PCB official said.

At Rabindra Bha

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