J. Salunkhe, Regional Officer of MPCB Pune, stated, “Our teams will be stationed at pre-determined locations to measure noise levels throughout the procession. Should any Ganesh mandals exceed permissible noise limits, we will immediately notify the police for intervention. Necessary actions will be taken as per National Green Tribunal (NGT) norms if there is non-compliance.”

The suburban areas, including Pimpri-Chinchwad, will also be covered as part of this monitoring exercise. Mahesh Shindikar, Head of the Applied Sciences and Humanities Department at CoEP, said, “For over 15 years, our students have been monitoring noise levels during the Ganesh Visarjan procession as part of academic research. This year, we will continue monitoring in the busiest areas like Laxmi Road.”

Certain areas, such as Kothrud, Bharati Vidyapeeth, Camp, Kondhwa, Sahakarnagar, and Swargate, are expected to see high noise levels during the day. Local citizens’ group Pune Samvad is encouraging residents to report noise violations through the emergency number 112, so that authorities can act swiftly to mitigate excessive noise pollution.

Additionally, Pune police will be equipped with calibrated noise monitoring instruments to ensure compliance with the NGT’s orders. Deputy Commissioner of Police G. Shreedhar said, “We are prepared to track noise levels across various parts of the city during the immersion procession and will do our best to ensure adherence to the set guidelines.”

The Ganesh Visarjan procession, which draws hundreds of Ganesh mandals every year, takes a route through key city roads including Lakshmi Road, Kelkar Road, Kumthekar Road, and Tilak Road, leading to the river for immersion. Despite multiple guidelines from the Mumbai High Court and NGT, previous years have seen noise levels significantly surpass the permissible limits due to loud DJ systems and traditional drum groups. This year, authorities are focused on stricter enforcement to keep noise pollution in check during the festive celebrations.

Joyville