Mumbai: Residents of Chembur from the Ghatla Talao area are a harrowed lot. First, it was Ganpati festival drums, then idol immersions for Durga Puja, and now noise pollution due to crackers, loudspeakers blaring and continued encroachments even after the festival is over.
On condition of anonymity, a senior citizen said, “Every night we have residents bursting crackers in the area, loudspeakers keep blaring through the day and floodlights are on. Senior citizens are a troubled lot. We have complained but the problem persists.”
Besides complaining anonymously to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the residents reached out to the Free Press Journal, too, about the issue.
In the letter to the BMC, the residents mentioned five housing societies in particular that face maximum problems due to their proximity to the Talao.
“Earlier, they didn’t have a pandal. Slowly a small one came up and now there is a bigger one. It does not just encroach the footpath, but the narrow road as well. During visarjan, they could have thought of a different place for it,” said another resident.
The residents said that floodlights have been on after the immersion day; they are not just an irritant but also a waste of public money. “These lights are at a level higher than streetlights and it’s difficult to sleep. When we complain to the police about noise pollution, they come promptly. However, the nuisance returns after some time,” the resident said.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner (M-West) Vishwas Mote said that he will have the site inspected for the pandal. Senior Police Inspector Sudarhsan Honwadajkar from Govandi said, “The residents can complain anytime on 100 if there’s a problem. We will be there.” When told about the problem resuming once the police have left, he said, “If the problem persists, we will deploy a constable for a few days.”
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