Bhubaneswar, Oct. 21 -- Thick layers of smoke blanketed Odisha's twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar on Diwali night as residents celebrated the festival with an intense display of fireworks, openly defying pollution control norms and police restrictions.

The celebrations, though filled with lights, colours and excitement, turned the skies grey and the air unbreathable.

Despite clear instructions from the Commissionerate Police restricting fireworks between 7 pm and 9 pm, several residents continued bursting crackers well past midnight.

As a result, the air quality deteriorated sharply, visibility dropped drastically, and an acrid smell of burnt chemicals lingered across the cities.

In many areas, visibility fell below 200 metre in...