Despite several complaints received and data from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and College of Engineering Pune (COEP) showing that noise levels recorded during the recently held Ganesh festival were beyond permissible limits, the Pune police have desisted from filing cases against errant Ganesh mandals.
With Covid-19 restrictions lifted after two years, the Ganpati immersion procession this year was the noisiest since the past six years, according to the MPCB and COEP. According to the COEP, the average sound level obtained from 10 locations in the city on the last day of festival was 105.2 dB (decibel) as compared to 86.2 dB (2019), 90.4 dB (2018) and 90.9 dB (2017). According to the MPCB, which monitors noise levels across the city during the Ganesh festival, the noise level was found beyond the permissible limit of 65 dB in commercial areas at 18 locations across Pune. The MPCB data showed noise levels at six locations as: Shivajinagar (Sakhar sankul) 97.19 dB, Shaniwar peth (Shaniwarwada) 94.32 dB, Laxmi road (Shagun chowk) 96.12 dB, Mahatma Phule mandai 98.70 dB, Sarasbaug (Mitra Mandal chowk) 96.19 dB, and Khadki (near bazaar) 94.79 dB. As per the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 (amended in 2017) published by the ministry of environment and forests, 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night are permissible noise limits in residential areas. Whereas the Pune city police also received a total of 1,043 noise pollution-related complaints on ‘dial 112’ between August 31 and September 10. Despite the incriminating data and the complaints received, the Pune police have desisted from filing cases against the Ganesh mandals responsible for violation of noise pollution norms prescribed by the Supreme Court.
Sources confirmed that the Pune police had received strict instructions from the government not to put any restrictions on the Ganesh festival as it was celebrated after a gap of two years and therefore, they were not ready to file cases against errant Ganesh mandals. It is also being said that ahead of civic polls, political parties do not want to register cases against Ganesh mandals as many youths from these Ganesh mandals are workers of several political outfits.
{{/usCountry}}Sources confirmed that the Pune police had received strict instructions from the government not to put any restrictions on the Ganesh festival as it was celebrated after a gap of two years and therefore, they were not ready to file cases against errant Ganesh mandals. It is also being said that ahead of civic polls, political parties do not want to register cases against Ganesh mandals as many youths from these Ganesh mandals are workers of several political outfits.
{{/usCountry}}While environmental activists have alleged that the police are dragging their feet on filing cases against Ganesh mandals due to political pressure.
Shailaja Deshpande, an environmental activist, said, “All the mandals are funded by various corporators and this year, the CM himself declared that the festival should be celebrated without any restrictions. It is because of this that the police are not taking any action against the mandals.” Deshpande said that while people can celebrate festivals free of restrictions, there has to be some limit and that the celebrations cannot inconvenience children and the elderly.
Meanwhile, police commissioner Amitabh Gupta said, “We have already requested the mandals to follow sound pollution norms prescribed by the court. The police are working on collecting the necessary data and we will soon take action against the violators.”