With the Bombay High Court granting an interim stay on a Central notification using which the state had done away with silence zones in the city, major Ganesh mandals Friday claimed the decision had come too late as most pandals had already been erected.
With four days left for the final Ganesh idol immersion on Tuesday, organisers said they would make all efforts to abide by the rules, even though it would be difficult.
Silence zones are areas within a 100-metre radius of hospitals, courts, educational or religious institutions where noise levels must not exceed 45 decibels (dB) during the day and 40dB at night.
“The order comes very late as most pandals have already been built, and some could fall in silence zones. Maintaining sound levels between 40-45 dB is almost impossible, as even a casual conversation between two people can generate 50 dB of noise. We do not understand how we will be able to follow the rule,” Pranil Panchal, associated with Chintamanicha Raja in Girgaum, said.
The umbrella body of all mandals, the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, said co-operation with the judiciary and the police would remain its priority. “Following the court orders has always been our aim. Thursday, the seventh day of visarjan, recorded very low noise levels in the city. We are using traditional instruments such as dhol and tashas, instead of DJs, to minimise noise,” Naresh Dahibaokar, the president of the samiti, said.
“With just four days of the festival left, the organisers will do their best to abide by the noise rules. However, with very little time to spread the word, we do not know if all pandals will be able to stick to the norms,” Dahibaokar added.
Many pandal organisers claimed they were not aware of the boundaries that define silence zones in the city.
Though they claim to have set their pandals away from hospitals and schools, maintaining the noise levels remains difficult, they claim.
Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000, non-compliance attracts imprisonment for a term that might extend to five years, and fine that might go up to Rs 1 lakh for the mandals and sound equipment providers.
“The fact that no mandal organiser in the past has been pulled up, fined or imprisoned for flouting sound rules itself proves that we are abiding by the law. However, with just four days remaining for the festival to end, we do not know how we will follow the rules,” Swapnil Parab from the popular Ganesh Galli’s Ganapati in Lalbaug said.
“We had always maintained that the use of loudspeakers should be minimised or eliminated, which could still ensure peaceful celebration of a festival. While a few pandals exist around silence zones, they must abide by the rules. We also hope that the police keep a check on erring pandals,” Sumaira Abdulali, from Awaaz Foundation, an intervenor in the case, said.
While commenting on pandals found breaking rules, Deputy Commissioner of Police and Mumbai Police spokesperson Rashmi Karandikar said, “We will send reports to the court.”
