36 Ganesh mandals in Nashik get notices over DJ noise at immersion procession, to face court cases
Nashik City Police have issued show-cause notices to 36 public Ganesh mandals for violating court orders on noise pollution during the main immersion procession.
The fate of 36 public Ganesh mandals in Nashik city will now be decided by the courts. The mandals are accused of flouting rules by playing DJ music at high volume during the main immersion procession. Nashik City Police have sent show-cause notices to all of them for causing noise pollution in violation of Supreme Court and High Court orders. The mandals will be taken to the District and Sessions Court and the Nashik Road court.
On Friday (September 25), the 36 mandals played sound systems at very high volume during the procession. Special teams of the Sarkarwada, Panchavati and Deolali Camp police stations recorded the noise with technical accuracy, in decibels.
Those who received notices include the Rokdoba, Shivseva, Yuvak, United, Dande Hanuman, Mahalaxmi Chawl, Shivasya Janseva, Hindu Ekta, Bhoiraj and Nehru Chowk Mitra mandals. Two cases each will be registered against these 10 mandals.
In addition, one case each will proceed in court against 17 mandals: Gulalwadi, Ravivar Karanja, Bhadrakali, Suryaprakash, Ganesh Mookbadhir, Shrimant Satyawadi, Welcome Sahakarya, Navkranti, Shaineshwar, Gajanan, Vande Mataram, Tarun Mitra, Gavli Wada, Golden Boys, SNG, Sahavya Galli Cha Raja and Yuvak Kranti Mitra mandals.
According to the notice, the president, responsible office-bearers and DJ operator of each mandal must appear before the police and give written and oral replies. However, the police have already collected digital evidence of the sound intensity. Whatever explanation the office-bearers offer, they will have to face the cases in court.
Because of these cases, office-bearers will have to make repeated visits to court and will live under the threat of legal punishment. This has caused anxiety among mandal workers.
Violations of noise pollution rules have also come to light in the Juloos-e-Gausia procession taken out in the old Nashik area on Sunday (September 27). Senior police officers have indicated that, as with the Ganesh mandals, the organisers of this procession will also be taken to court.
The Environment (Protection) Act and the noise pollution control rules provide for stiff punishment by a court. If found guilty, office-bearers of the mandals and DJ operators can face up to 5 years in jail or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both.
