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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly...

NHRC sword hangs over top Pune officials

Mumbai: ​The top administrative brass of Pune—the Municipal Commissioner and the Police Commissioner—are likely to face unprecedented legal and regulatory action from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over their persistent failure to rein in illegal, deafening sound systems. With civic and police authorities displaying chronic inertia in enforcing mandatory sound limits during recent festivities, the statutory human rights watchdog is poised to hold both top officials directly liable for gross dereliction of duty. This impending crackdown is spearheaded by Pune-based social activist Sharad Kelkar, whose comprehensive petition to the NHRC exposed the rampant proliferation of multi-speaker DJ consoles, plasma sound systems, and blinding laser lights that have turned city streets into hazardous zones. ​At the core of this imminent administrative crisis is the recognition that unbridled acoustic violence is not merely a municipal inconvenience or an environmental transgression, but an overt violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, health, and a peaceful existence. Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2005, both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune City Police are the designated implementation authorities tasked with preventing noise levels from crossing prescribed daytime and nighttime thresholds. Following Kelkar’s initial complaint, the NHRC had issued a formal notice to the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board (MPCB), demanding a detailed explanation and an action-taken report. Yet, despite clear warning signals from the national panel, the city administration showed utter disregard during the recent Dahi Handi festivities, during which massive DJ towers blared at deafening volumes well past permissible limits across nearly every major square. Decisive Follow-up ​Refusing to let the administrative apathy slide, Kelkar has now filed a decisive follow-up complaint before the NHRC with an exhaustive dossier of time-stamped video footage, audio logs, and decibel-level documentation gathered from across the city during Dahi Handi, conclusively demonstrating that local police stations and municipal ward offices turned a blind eye to brazen violations. With clear visual and technical evidence establishing that sound levels consistently surpassed hazardous thresholds, the prospective NHRC directives are expected to demand stern show-cause responses from both commissioners, potentially triggering formal disciplinary proceedings and severe legal sanctions. ​The gravity of the NHRC’s expected intervention is deeply anchored in the acute physiological damage inflicted on society’s most vulnerable demographics. High-intensity low-frequency bass waves generated by modern DJ setups pose severe risks to senior citizens, newborn infants, pregnant women, and patients suffering from cardiovascular conditions or chronic hypertension. Hospitals and residential neighborhoods situated in the vicinity of traditional procession routes frequently report sudden spikes in panic attacks, insomnia, and acute acoustic trauma, often forcing families to temporarily migrate out of the city to avoid falling ill. By categorizing such systemic exposure as a human rights violation, the NHRC’s pending action seeks to shatter the culture of impunity that local authorities have long granted under the guise of festive leeway. ​This institutional crackdown aligns perfectly with an unprecedented groundswell of public outrage spilling onto the streets of Pune. Pushed to the brink by years of unaddressed grievances, frustrated citizens have launched back-to-back weekend protests to demand an immediate, complete ban on DJs and high-decibel loudspeakers ahead of Ganeshotsav.

Clever seat selection helped BJP to secure historic win

The party won 65 seats against Congress, 37 against NCP (SP) and 29 against Shiv Sena (UBT)

Clever seat selection

Mumbai: The BJP’s strategic seat sharing with the allies has proved beneficial for the party. An analysis of the Assembly election results show that the BJP has scored over its main rival, the Congress, in a big way because of the direct fights.


The analysis shows that BJP defeated all three constituents of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) – in the direct fights. This is attributed as one of the reasons for the BJP’s historic poll success.


The BJP contested 147 out of 288 seats. In 76 constituencies, it faced Congress. BJP secured victory in 65 seats and lost only 11 seats, making it a whopping 86 per cent of the total direct fights. This was followed by an even stronger performance against NCP (SP). Of the total 39 fights with Sharad Pawar’s party, BJP captured 37 seats making it 95 per cent of the total fights with NCP (SP). BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) were head-to-head in 32 constituencies, of which BJP emerged victorious in 29 seats, making this 91 per cent of the total direct contests.


According to a BJP strategist the party had bargained hard with its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP to get the desired constituencies in the seat sharing formula. “We had studied to potential candidates of the MVA. That helped us in choosing the seats where we can register comfortable victories,” the strategist said.


BJP spokesperson Niranjan Shetty attributed the success to all the party workers who worked hard to boost development, infrastructure in the state. He gave credit to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his contribution to the party’s success.


Shetty pointed out that in 2019, Uddhav Thackeray had stalled all the “novel” and “legendary” projects that Fadnavis had started when he had taken over as CM, making it very easy for the people of Maharashtra to strike a comparison between both the leaders and the potential they had for serving the people. “Devendra Fadnavis gave up his post very easily for the larger good. There are many such examples like Venkaiah Naidu who was BJP National President and later worked as the Vice President of India because that was the need of the hour. We seldom care about our posts,” Shetty told The Perfect Voice.


Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe refused to call the election results as the people’s mandate. “This is not at all a Janata mandate. Despite Maharashtra struggling with so many basic social issues, how can BJP acquire such a huge mandate is the question. If a student copies and fails with just passing marks, it can go unnoticed, but if a student copies and bags the number one position, something is fishy. Why is the BJP scared of ballot papers?” he said.

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