Pune: Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Thursday warned that organisers violating prescribed noise limits during festivals will face criminal cases and court proceedings, while stressing that the same sound regulations will be enforced uniformly across all festivals in the city.
Addressing a meeting of Ganesh mandal representatives, police officials and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) authorities at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Kumar said organisers would have to follow the prescribed DJ setup of four bass units and four top speakers. Exceeding the permitted sound limits by deploying additional equipment would not be allowed, he said.
Anand Chaini
Anand Chaini
Anand Chaini
Anand Chaini
Kumar said nearly 99 per cent of Ganesh mandals and their volunteers cooperate with the police and comply with court orders and festival-related regulations. However, those choosing to take a different approach would have to face legal action.
“The police force is your own. We are also devotees of Lord Ganesha. We do not want confrontation with organisers,” Kumar said, urging mandals to adopt a practical and inclusive approach instead of getting involved in disputes that could lead to criminal cases and lengthy court proceedings.
The meeting was held to review preparations for the upcoming Ganeshotsav. Mandal representatives raised several civic and logistical concerns, including potholes, traffic congestion, illegal parking, non-functional streetlights, inadequate public toilets, crowd management during processions and permissions for sound systems.
The representatives demanded that potholes on major roads be repaired before the festival, more than 3,000 abandoned vehicles be removed and non-functional streetlights restored. They also sought adequate toilet facilities for both men and women.
Illegal parking on Laxmi Road and Tilak Road was another major concern raised at the meeting. Organisers said special traffic arrangements were required on Tilak Road, where around 225 Ganesh mandals participate in processions.
They also demanded special arrangements at Swargate Chowk, where processions converge from different directions. Mandal representatives questioned the strict enforcement of sound restrictions on DJs, pointing out that traditional dhol-tasha performances involving thousands of drums can also result in high noise levels.
No confrontation with mandals, says Commissioner
Kumar said the police would extend cooperation to Ganesh mandals wherever genuine difficulties arise, while expecting organisers to comply with the rules.
Referring to last year's immersion processions, he said efforts had been made to complete the processions of prominent Ganesh idols earlier, but the processions continued for around one-and-a-half to two hours beyond the expected schedule. However, effective crowd management prevented any major stampede-like situation.
He said discussions with mandal representatives this year had helped improve coordination and expressed confidence that changes in procession management would be visible to citizens during the festival.
Kumar directed police officials to visit mandals within their respective jurisdictions and discuss traffic and security arrangements with organisers. He also instructed the police to coordinate with the PMC to ensure potholes on procession routes are repaired.
He further said information boards displaying details of Ganesh mandals and one-way traffic routes should be installed across the city during the festival.
Women’s safety should remain a priority, while arrangements for street vendors should also be taken into consideration, Kumar said. He added that permissions would not be granted for events featuring obscene songs or objectionable performances during Dahi Handi or other festivals.
The Commissioner also directed police to conduct anti-drug drives during Ganeshotsav.
