Anantapur city police seized five DJ sound systems during a Ganesh idol procession on Sunday after organisers allegedly used them at high volume in violation of noise restrictions, according to Urban DSP M. Chandrasekhar. The police said the sound levels caused inconvenience to residents and that further violations could lead to stringent legal action.
Police teams conducted raids at different locations during pre-processions and seized the equipment, Chandrasekhar said. The enforcement followed directions from Superintendent of Police P. Jagadish to Ganesh celebration committees to follow prescribed noise levels and cooperate with the police during festivities.
The police said excessive noise was particularly affecting patients in hospitals, including heart patients, as well as senior citizens, children and students preparing for examinations. The concerns place the enforcement action within the wider challenge of managing public celebrations in a densely used urban environment, where processions, residential areas, hospitals and educational activity can overlap.
According to the police, the use of DJ systems during celebrations and processions was prohibited in Anantapur city. Restrictions on the use of loudspeakers after 10 pm were also in force. The report did not specify the noise readings recorded during the raids or identify the organisers whose equipment was seized.
Chandrasekhar warned that event organisers and sound-system owners would be held responsible for violations. Police could also seize DJ equipment and the vehicles used to transport it, he said. The action therefore extends responsibility beyond celebration committees to the operators and suppliers involved in providing sound systems for public events.
The police appealed to residents to report illegal DJ use and urged Ganesh celebration committees to conduct festivities without causing inconvenience to people or animals. The appeal indicates that enforcement will depend not only on police inspections but also on complaints and information from residents during the remaining celebrations.
The latest seizures follow a direction to organisers to keep celebrations within prescribed noise limits. Police said further violations would invite legal action, but no details were provided about charges filed or penalties imposed in the five cases. The immediate next step is continued monitoring of processions and celebrations in the city, with organisers and sound-system owners warned that additional equipment and transport vehicles may be seized if restrictions are breached.
