The District Collector of Pune, Dr. Rajesh Deshmukh, has issued a revised order granting Ganesh mandals in Pune the flexibility to use loudspeakers during the Ganesh festival until midnight for six days instead of the previously designated five days.
In accordance with the Central government’s Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, the use of loudspeakers during festivals is permitted between 6 am and 12 am for a total of 15 days in a year. Previously, the district collector had issued an order on February 2, 2023, allowing the use of loudspeakers until midnight for 13 days throughout the year, including five days allocated for the Ganesh festival, with two days reserved for other occasions.
However, following requests from various public representatives and Ganpati mandals in Pune city and the district, an extension of the prescribed days was sought, particularly for the seventh day, citing increased enthusiasm. The Pune Rural Police Superintendent also reported no objections to extending the festival by one day. Consequently, Dr. Deshmukh, the District Collector, issued a new order permitting the use of sound amplifiers and sound enhancers until midnight for the seventh day of Ganeshotsav (Gauri Visarjan), in addition to the originally approved five days.
Previously, as per the orders, sound amplifiers and sound enhancers were allowed to be used from 6 am to midnight on Saturday, September 23 (fifth day – Gauri Visarjan), Sunday, September 24 (sixth day of the festival), Tuesday, September 26 (eighth day), Wednesday, September 27 (ninth day – Anant Chaturdashi), and Thursday, September 28 (tenth day). The new order states that sound amplifiers and sound enhancers can be used until midnight on Monday, September 25, 2023 (seventh day), totaling six days of extended loudspeaker usage during the Ganesh Festival in Pune.
