Pimpri-Chinchwad police have warned that criminal cases will be filed against DJ operators and Ganesh mandal office-bearers if sound limits are breached during the upcoming Ganeshotsav celebrations. The warning follows action against 31 mandals for alleged noise violations during Dahi Handi festivities.
Additional Commissioner of Police Sarang Awad said the police would intensify their campaign against DJs during Ganeshotsav. He said cases had been registered against 31 mandals within three days during Dahi Handi, with speakers, amplifiers, mixers and other sound equipment seized.
“During Ganeshotsav, mandals will face action if they create a DJ racket beyond the prescribed limits. The action will be intensified,” Awad said, according to Loksatta. He added that the number of mandals participating in Ganeshotsav is higher and that DJs are used extensively during the festival.
The police said permissible sound levels vary according to the time of day and the area in which the sound system is being operated. The limits also differ between silence, residential, commercial and industrial zones. Awad said the permitted range was from a minimum of 40 decibels to a maximum of 75 decibels, depending on the applicable category and timing.
The enforcement will not be limited to the equipment used to amplify the sound. Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohidas Pawar said action would also be taken against the president and organisers of a mandal responsible for violating noise regulations, as well as against the concerned DJ operator and owner.
“The case will not end with action only against the loudspeakers of the mandal violating the noise rules,” Pawar said. The police will also proceed against those responsible for organising the event and operating or owning the DJ equipment, he said.
The warning places responsibility on both festival organisers and commercial sound-system providers. Mandals using DJs during the celebrations will be expected to comply with the applicable sound limits, while operators and owners may also face legal consequences when violations occur.
The police appealed to residents and organisers to celebrate the festival without affecting the health and peace of others. The latest warning comes ahead of Ganeshotsav, when the number of participating mandals and the use of DJ systems are expected to increase across Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Police officials said enforcement during the festival would be intensified and that violations of the prescribed sound limits could lead to cases against mandal office-bearers, organisers, DJ operators and equipment owners.
