Noise concerns in festive season

The 11-day celebration of Ganesha Chaturthi came to an end as many in the city bid an emotional farewell to Lord Ganesha by immersing his idols.

However, Ganesha ‘visarjan’ is turning out to be too noisy for residents in many localities as it is accompanied by music and drum beats as well as bursting of crackers. Not only are the elderly and young children at the receiving end, even pets are disturbed by the cacophony that starts at night.

Metrolife spoke to a few residents and pet owners, many of whom feel helpless about the noise.

Geetha M, 67, says, “I don’t mind people celebrating festivals but some thought should be spared for fellow-citizens, especially elderly people and children. This noisy revelry starts only after 11 pm and goes on till the wee hours of the morning. Loud songs, which are not even pleasing to the ears, are blared from loudspeakers and are accompanied by drum beats and yelling. Crackers are burst and that startles elderly people like me.”

She believes that the celebrations should ideally be shifted to a pandal, located some distance away from residential places. “The volume of the songs should be reduced and the event should wind up by 11 pm or so,” adds the resident of Indiranagar.

Jayalakshmi, 62, a resident of J P Nagar, feels that the method of celebrating is changing in the present context and is diminishing the spirit of any festival. “Youngsters have taken to bursting crackers, playing loud music on the streets and even blocking roads in the name of celebration. They should be aware of their surroundings and refrain from merrymaking which causes inconvenience to others,” Jayalakshmi told Metrolife.

The high-decibel impacts animals, especially dogs, adversely too. “Dogs hear 100 times louder than we do and the noise of the crackers scares them no end. Also, elderly people can suffer from a heart attack due to this sudden loud sound,” says Karthik Sampath, a businessman and pet owner. He adds that the groups can use the money spent on this revelry to feed the poor during festivals.

Celebrate responsibly

- Strict rules should be enforced by the city police.

- Heads of groups celebrating on the road should ask their volunteers to be sensitive to the plight of pets and elderly people in the area.

- BBMP should designate specific areas to burst crackers.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis recently said, “Lord Ganesh does not need DJ and Dolby.” We hope the Karnataka government is listening.