Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar
Police will monitor noise levels at 120 locations along the immersion route, with a permanent noise-monitoring station set up at Alka Talkies Chowk. During the ongoing Ganesh festival, Pune police have already registered 21 cases against mandals for violating noise pollution norms. In Pimpri Chinchwad, police have registered 50 FIRs against Ganesh mandals and sound system suppliers for exceeding permissible decibel limits. An IP-based public address system at 250 locations will be used for announcements, crowd management and emergency communication.
If a mandal uses more speakers than permitted, we will seize the entire sound system,” Kumar said. “While there is no cap on the number of dhols, tashas or troupe members, action will be taken if noise levels breach prescribed limits,” the Pune CP said. “Dedicated teams will continuously track decibel levels throughout the procession. Mandals have been permitted to use a maximum of four top speakers and four bass speakers. Police will also strictly enforce the ban on plasma speakers, mid-pressure speakers and toll instruments. Police will also deploy an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)-based system to detect traffic violations like wrong-way driving, triple-seat riding, illegal parking, footpath encroachment and speeding. Drone surveillance will supplement CCTV feeds from Metro stations, Pune Municipal Corporation cameras and Ganapati mandals. Police will also track mandals in real time through GPS devices installed on procession units.
Pune: Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Wednesday warned that strict action would be taken against both Ganapati mandals and dhol-tasha troupes if they were found violating prescribed noise limits during Friday’s immersion procession.
