The Mumbai cracker ban was imposed on Monday 9 November, when the Mumbai Disaster Management Authority banned the bursting of rockets and aerial firecrackers in the city until 11:59 PM on 25 November 2026. The order covers all residential areas, including rooftops, balconies and slum pockets, falling under the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and it came after three major fires were reported in different parts of the city on Diwali night.
The Mumbai cracker ban followed a night in which fire crews recorded 142 incidents across Mumbai on Sunday 8 November, when the festival was celebrated, and officials linked 137 of them to firecrackers, the highest single-day count in recent years. The three major fires gutted several huts, shops, a garage and parts of a commercial building, and two women were hurt. Between 6 and 9 November, 282 fire incidents were reported from across the city, and 200 were caused by lighting firecrackers.
The Mumbai cracker ban order was issued by the Mumbai Disaster Management Authority, led by additional municipal commissioner Prajakta Verma-Lavangare in her capacity as chairperson of the Urban Disaster Management Authority. The authority said the city’s dense population, high-rise buildings, narrow roads, slum settlements and concentration of residential and commercial establishments make aerial fireworks particularly hazardous, because burning debris from rockets can fall on rooftops, balconies, windows and combustible materials.
Mumbai cracker ban and what it covers
The Mumbai cracker ban is limited to fireworks that go into the air. Rockets and other aerial firecrackers are banned, but ground-based crackers are not covered by this order, though they are still controlled by the laws already in force, court rulings and official instructions. The ban was imposed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, with Mumbai’s order citing Section 34(m), which lets an authority facing a threatening disaster situation take such other steps as may be required.
Thane has gone further than the Mumbai cracker ban. The Thane district administration has banned rockets and aerial firecrackers until 11:59 PM on 8 January 2027, covering Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Bhiwandi and Ulhasnagar and the rest of the district. The Thane ban runs through Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, more than 380 fire incidents were reported during Diwali, and the surge disrupted Western Railway services.
Mumbai cracker ban after a record Diwali
The Mumbai cracker ban follows a Diwali that set a record for fire calls. India Today reported 262 fire incidents in Mumbai during Diwali 2024, with 80 caused by firecrackers, and 289 in 2025, with 113 caused by firecrackers. This year the count on Diwali night alone was 142 incidents, with 137 caused by firecrackers, and the four days from 6 to 9 November brought 282 incidents in all.
The order said that when rockets and similar skyward-launching fireworks are lighted, their burning debris can fall on building rooftops, balconies, windows and combustible materials, potentially triggering fires and endangering human lives and property. The authority pointed to the city’s dense population and its many high-rise buildings as reasons why a rocket that goes wrong in Mumbai is more dangerous than in an open area. The ban covers housing societies, terraces, balconies, parking areas and slum pockets, and it applies to all premises within the BMC limits.
Breaking the ban can mean up to six months in jail, or a year if it kills or endangers lives. The BMC has enforced a blanket ban on rockets and aerial displays within its jurisdiction, covering all public and private spaces including residential terraces and balconies. The ban ends first in Mumbai unless the BMC extends it, while a rocket fired a few kilometres away in Thane or Mira-Bhayandar is still illegal until 8 January. The order took effect on 9 November and lasts until 11:59 PM on 25 November.
The Mumbai cracker ban will stay in force for just over two weeks, and the city will watch whether the fires fall as the ban bites. The disaster management authority issued the order to cut the risk from fireworks that fly into the sky, and the BMC is enforcing it across the city and its suburbs.