Silence zones cover areas within 100 metres of hospitals, educational institutions, courts and other sensitive establishments
Silence zones cover areas within 100 metres of hospitals, educational institutions, courts and other sensitive establishments. Pune city has 121 silence zones, while Pimpri Chinchwad has 60. Mandke said other citizens had approached National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2025 over festival-related noise pollution, with silence zones forming a part of the petition. Pune resident and litigant Ameet Singh said an NGT direction (2024) limiting mandals to two loudspeakers each was not effectively enforced. Referring to Dahi Handi celebrations, he said police had taken action against 31 mandals for exceeding decibel limits and seized speakers and mixers.
Environmental activist Vijaya Suratkal has launched a pre-festival campaign urging residents to document and report noise violations.
Audiologist Kalyani Mandke said the issue should be addressed through enforcement of existing rules rather than targeting Ganesh festivities specifically. The real problem is poor enforcement and lack of public awareness,” Mandke said, stressing that pandals should not be allowed near hospitals and processions passing through such areas should avoid playing music. “Where permissions have already been granted, organisers should keep sound levels to a minimum and refrain from using dhol-tasha systems,” she said. She said the matter had hearings over the following year, but the issue remained part of the larger push for effective enforcement of noise norms. The concern is not just the number of loudspeakers but whether directions aimed at controlling festival noise are actually followed,” Singh said. “One complaint can make a difference, but large-scale documentation can drive real change,” Suratkal said, urging residents to share the campaign across housing societies and neighbourhood groups. PMC environment department head Madhav Jagtap said the civic administration had urged Ganesh mandals to comply with prescribed sound limits. “PMC will assist police, MPCB and other agencies in monitoring compliance,” he said. In Pimpri Chinchwad, additional commissioner of police Sarang Awad said action against noise violations would be intensified during the festival. “We will take stringent action against office bearers who obtain permissions and violate sound norms, as well as against loudspeaker providers,” Awad said, adding that police teams would continuously monitor sound levels during the festival. (With inputs from Mihir Tanksale & Sarang Dastane) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune Stay updated with the latest Pune news.
“The rules already define silence zones around hospitals, nursing homes, schools and courts. “Although authorities later assured compliance, implementation remained inconsistent. Citizens are being encouraged to record the location, date and time of violations, take photographs, measure sound levels using decibel-meter apps and submit complaints using a prepared email format. Download the TOI App.
Residents also cited weak implementation of earlier orders regulating loudspeakers. Pune: As Ganeshotsav starts on Monday, citizens have demanded stricter enforcement of silence-zone regulations, urging authorities to prohibit pandals near hospitals, schools, courts and other notified zones, and to ban loudspeakers, dhol-tasha performances and sound systems in processions passing through such areas.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will monitor noise levels at 200 locations across Pune during the festival, continuing a system introduced under NGT directions two years ago.
Some residents said they resorted to personal measures to cope with festival noise. Aundh-based businessman Kunal Chordia said his family limited travel during the festival and used cotton in their ears when stepping out. “Traffic-related noise will be monitored separately at 15 spots,” an MPCB official said.
Monitoring will be conducted daily from 6pm to midnight.