Thane police have begun receiving applications from public Ganeshotsav organisers seeking permission to use loudspeakers for arrival and immersion processions, as well as programmes at festival mandaps, with officials instructing them to follow noise-pollution rules. The permissions process comes just days before the festival and has renewed questions about whether the rules will be enforced on the ground.
The Thane Police Commissionerate area is expected to host 1,076 public Ganesh idols this year, along with more than 150,000 household installations. Processions, public programmes and loudspeaker use typically increase during the festival, making noise management a recurring administrative challenge for the city.
According to the report, office-bearers of Ganesh mandals have started visiting police stations to apply for permission to install loudspeakers. Police personnel are informing applicants about the applicable noise-pollution rules while processing the requests. The report does not specify the number of permissions issued so far or identify a separate enforcement timetable for the festival period.
The key question for residents is whether instructions issued during the permissions process will be followed by monitoring and action against violations during processions and events. Complaints about excessive noise during festivals have surfaced repeatedly, even though legal and administrative rules govern the use of loudspeakers.
The issue also has a judicial backdrop. The report refers to directions issued by the Bombay High Court following a petition by Thane-based social activist Dr Mahesh Bedekar on noise pollution. The Supreme Court has held that the right to live in an environment free from noise pollution forms part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
These legal principles place responsibility on enforcement agencies beyond merely informing organisers about the rules. In practice, implementation during a large festival depends on how permissions are monitored, how complaints are recorded and whether violations lead to action. The report does not provide details of the police deployment, decibel-monitoring arrangements or the penalties imposed during previous Ganeshotsav celebrations in Thane.
Noise pollution during public celebrations has also remained a wider Maharashtra concern. The report cites protests in Pune against excessive use of DJ systems after social worker Vidyanand Bapat raised the issue. The protests brought the question of loud music and festival enforcement into public discussion across the state.
For Thane residents, the immediate test will come as public mandals conduct arrival processions, programmes and immersion processions. Police permissions are being issued with instructions to comply with the rules, while the extent of enforcement during the festival remains to be seen.
