Pune, Hundreds of Pune residents have staged a protest demanding a ban on loud music and DJ systems during the upcoming Ganesh festival, claiming the menace caused by unbearable sound makes them fall sick and travel out of the city for a few days.
The festival will begin on September 14. However, some representatives of Ganesh Mandals alleged selective targeting over loud music. “These high-decibel music systems being used for the past few years are making us ill. We leave the city for two to three days during the Ganesh immersion processions. “We have united against the high level of noise which disturbs neighbourhoods. The excessive use of loud sound systems is witnessed everywhere in the city irrespective of a festival. It is unbearable,” he pointed out. A Ganesh mandal representative, however, claimed that those demanding a ban on sound systems and DJ music conveniently ignore the environmental pollution. “The Mutha river is polluted, but who is raising the issue?
We want a complete ban on the use of DJ sound systems,” a protester said. Another agitator said the protest is not directed to any particular religion or caste. They only want to target Ganesh Mandals,” he said.
