Several dhol-tasha pathaks in Pune practising without proper permission

Till last week, the civic body had given permission to only two of the 500 dholtasha troupes in city

While dhol-tasha practice sessions in Pune are at its peak, several troupes are practising for the Ganpati festival without the required permission, said Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials.

Volunteers of a dhol-tasha troupe practising for Ganesh festival in Pune. (HT FILE PHOTO)

There are around 500 big and small dhol-tasha troupes in Pune. Till last week, the PMC had given permission to only two troupes, while the rest are practising without permissions, causing inconvenience to residents with the noise pollution, said officials.

“There is no consolidated data of the dhol-tasha pathaks getting permission from various agencies. As each Pathak is practising at different establishments like PMC buildings, PMC schools or PMC open grounds permission is given by respective authority,” said Mahesh Patil, deputy municipal commissioner and in charge of estate department.

In Pune, several dhol-tasha troupes are practising near the river bed which comes under water resource department; while others are practising near their residential localities.

While citizens resideing near the river bed and in Peth areas have filed numerous complaints of noise pollution, police officials have assured that they are monitoring the troupe activities and all complaints will be addressed immediately.

Gautam Sane, a resident said, “We reside in Shaniwar Peth. The dhol-tasha troupe practise till wee hours disturbing our sleep.”

“We have no problem with the troupes practising till 10 pm, which is the deadline set for noise pollution. The troupes in the area practise well beyond the permissible time limit. Some residents have formally gone to the nearby practising pathak in our area and requested them to keep the noise low, but they do not listen to us, so police should take strict action against them,” said Tushar Mhatre, a resident of Deccan Gymkhana

The Ganpati festival is all set to begin on September 19. The 500 dhol-tasha troupes have nearly 25,000 volunteers; each troupe having 150 to 500 volunteers.

The Maharashtra Dhol-Tasha Mahasangh has issued a mandate stating that a person must be a Class 10 pass to participate in the pathaks, as till that age the person is physically fit to carry and play the dhols and tashas. Each mandal in these ten days performs in over 10 to 15 processions.

One of the organisers of a dhol-tasha pathak, requesting anonymity said, “We are aware about the noise pollution due to our practise sessions. However, since there are only a few days left for the festival to begin, we have increased practising hours. The festival occurs once in a year, and the citizens should also understand and cooperate with all the pathaks that are practising around the city.”