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Sound systems worth ₹37L seized for violating sound pollution norms
The issue of adhering to sound pollution guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court came into question after singer AR Rahman performed live in Pune on Sunday when police arrived at the venue
Pune:
The Social Security Cell (SSC) of the Pune city police has seized sound systems worth ₹37.80 lakh in the last six months for running loud music systems during late night hours and violating sound pollution norms, officials said.
The issue of adhering to sound pollution guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court came into question after singer AR Rahman performed live in Pune on Sunday when police arrived at the venue.
The cops walked onto the stage and demanded that the show be stopped and a video of the same has gone viral after it was shared on Twitter. Following the incident, Pune Police issued a clarification and said the singer-music composer had exceeded the 10 pm deadline.
The concert took place at the Raja Bahadur Mill area in Pune.
According to data shared by the Pune City Police, between November 18, 2022, and April 24, 2023, they took action against 15 establishments including pubs, hotels and restaurants and arrested three accused.
Senior police officials from the SSC department stated that there had been complaints about specific places playing loud music late at night, which was disturbing neighbours in the area.
In response to similar accusations, police have raided establishments in Kondhawa, Vimantal, Koregaon Park, Bund Garden, Chatuhshrungi, and Yerwada.
The action was initiated under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Jitendra Diwan, a Koregaon Park resident said, “To play loud music in the night hours is the new normal for the youths though it creates a disturbance for others. Weekends are a nightmare for us, and we don’t want to stay at our home during weekends.’’
Officials from the SSC said that they are planning to take more such actions against the establishments if they continue to play loud music systems during night hours.
