Kanwariyas run rampant in Delhi amid lack of enforcement

Traffic jams, loud noises and disruptions due to heavy trucks laden with boom boxes are disrupting the daily life of thousands along the pilgrim routes

The Kanwar Yatra in Delhi has been marked by traffic jams, loud noises and disruptions due to heavy trucks laden with boom boxes, disrupting the daily life of thousands along the pilgrim routes, residents said, alleging that their complaints to Delhi Police have fallen on deaf ears.

In South East Delhi, where pilgrims are mainly choosing to walk through New Friends Colony, Maharani Bagh and Ashram, residents alleged that loud noise and music played on boom boxes were hugely disruptive. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The problem is especially worse in the South, South East, East and South West districts, with residents and residents’ associations raising health concerns.

Delhi Police said they have made arrangements in each district, and that they have received 200 complaints—mostly about noise and traffic—since Friday.

In South East Delhi, where pilgrims are mainly choosing to walk through New Friends Colony, Maharani Bagh and Ashram, residents alleged that loud noise and music played on boom boxes were hugely disruptive. Police said around 10 complaints were being lodged every day here.

Chitra Jain, president, New Friends Colony (NFC) RWA, Ashoka Park, said, “They travel with the boom boxes, and it’s a big disturbance for the residents. Students who are studying get disturbed, and it’s a big problem for senior citizens. There is also a lot of vibration, which is an annoyance. I’m not against religious fervour, but the volume is very high and we have been receiving multiple complaints.”

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said, “We are ensuring there is law and order maintained. A few complaints come, but there’s no such spike from last year or so. We have made dedicated corridors and have an average of 200 staff deployed in three shifts (a total of 600 a day). We have at least 21 Kanwar camps under us, and we have ensured that a male and female staff are deployed there round-the-clock. There are complaints, but our staff takes care of everything…”

In South Delhi, residents complained that pilgrims deviated from main roads and entered colony roads at night, leading to increased noise pollution.

Sanjay Rana, president of the GK II RWA, said, “There is a lot of noise during late hours. I was returning from the airport around 2.30am during the weekend, when I saw multiple trucks and mini trucks. They were playing very loud music. The pilgrims move with boom boxes, which creates issues. Also, they do not follow traffic rules, and there are bikers without helmets. I’ve been getting a lot of complaints about the traffic. As they are going through the main road and colony roads, they are affecting traffic inside the colony.”

A resident in Jangpura said, “We do not like to step outside our house because there’s so much traffic and loud noise. We are scared…My parents are over 80 and can’t sleep. People have called the police, but nothing is happening.”

In East Delhi, pilgrims are marching through NH 9, NH 24 and even covering Vikas Marg and Akshardham.

A member from RWA Joint Front, who lives in Patparganj, said, “We have raised complaints with the RWA president, but nobody is helping us. My mother is suffering from a heart ailment and can’t sleep at night. We have tried everything. The noise is deafening. It’s above 80 decibels for sure. I respect all religions, but this is harassment.”

Abhishek Dhania, DCP (East) said, “We had received two calls yesterday and no calls today (till 6pm). We have deployed over 1,000 staff on the ground. They work in shifts of 300-400 staff each. We have ensured deployment helps locals and commuters. Also, any complaint that comes, the staff acts on it. We talk to pilgrims and ask them to lower the volume of the boom boxes. In other cases, we also remove the wiring of the sound system. Police are taking action on the ground.”