Pune police implement bans on use of high sound during Ganpati immersions

Pune police Saturday said it would strictly implement a Maharashtra government ban on the use of hi-tech sound-amplifying systems during Ganpati immersions Sunday.

Pune police Saturday said it would strictly implement a Maharashtra government ban on the use of hi-tech sound-amplifying systems during Ganpati immersions Sunday.

A division bench of the Bombay High Court of Justices Shantanu Kemkar and Sarang Kotwal had Friday rejected a plea for interim relief by the Professional Audio and Lighting Association (PALA) which has challenged the ban on sound-amplifying systems.

Joint Commissioner of Police Shivaji Bodkhe Saturday said that police personnel had been deployed to coordinate with Ganpati mandals to ensure compliance of the ban.

"Contractors who provide such sound systems have been given identity cards and action will be taken against them if sound levels of these systems go above-stipulated norms," Bodkhe said.

He said that police personnel armed with 300-decibel meters would be moving about in the city and action would be taken against mandals violating noise pollution norms.

Bodkhe said that over 11,000 policemen and personnel from specialized units like BDDS, Fire Brigade, SRPF and Riot Control Squads have been deployed to ensure the immersion of Ganesh idols on Anant Chaturdashi Sunday passes off peacefully.