FIR sought against Ganesh mandals that flouted court noise limits, letter to Pune police chief

Vivek Velankar, president of Nisarg Sevak Sanstha and Sajag Nagrik Manch, has written to Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar demanding immediate action against Ganesh mandals that violated the noise and air pollution limits set by the Bombay High Court during the Ganesh immersion procession.

Velankar said that in earlier cases too, when FIRs were registered over such violations, they were withdrawn under political pressure. He alleged this is why mandals dare to openly flout the High Court's orders.

In his letter, Velankar said the police must have received several complaints from across the city over noise pollution and air pollution caused by firecrackers during the immersion procession. He said the police administration, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and voluntary organisations would also have records of these violations. He demanded that cases be registered against the concerned mandals within a week based on these records, and that hearings in any such cases begin in court within a month.

Velankar acknowledged that police may not have acted on the spot during the procession because of the risk of a law and order situation, and said this could be understood. But he said that if legal action is not taken soon, noise and air pollution will keep rising every year instead of coming down. This is why he has appealed to the police commissioner for prompt action.

This year's immersion procession again saw loud DJ music and fireworks that caused public distress, with no let-up in noise pollution, which was highest in the Narayan Peth area. Vidyanand Bapat, who has long campaigned against noise pollution, said his movement has not succeeded because some mandals used artificial intelligence to create videos misusing his voice, showing dancing and singing. Bapat said he wants peace for all 365 days of the year and will continue his campaign. He questioned why police did not act on the spot if they intended to act against decibel violations, and demanded that such action be taken in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Pimpri-Chinchwad police have cracked down on noise pollution violators during Ganeshotsav. A total of 91 cases were registered in the city for noise pollution between September 14 and 26, 2026. According to police data, Zone 1 recorded the highest number with 29 cases, followed by 44 cases in Zone 2, 8 cases in Zone 3 and 10 cases in Zone 4. The action covered areas under Nigdi, Chinchwad, Pimpri, Sangvi, Sant Tukaramnagar, Dapodi, Baner, Kalewadi, Hinjewadi, Wakad, Bhosari, Chakan South, Talegaon Dabhade, Talegaon MIDC, South Mahalunge MIDC and Shirgaon police stations.