Awareness meetings held by the city police with Ganesh mandals before the commencement of the Ganesh festival has helped control sound pollution in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area this year.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone III), Dnyaneshwar Chavan, told DNA, “The awareness meetings with Ganesh mandals helped significantly in reducing sound pollution. We also kept close tabs on mandals violating the rules.’’
According to Chavan, the police also sent letters to the parents of teenage mandal members, stating that their wards could be imprisoned for violating rules. “The parents co-operated with us. The police department sent 450 such letters to parents.’’
Residents are a relieved lot. Shriram Kute, a resident of Chinchwad said, “Earlier, people were afraid to express their feelings about sound pollution. However, people are now coming forward to inform the police if any mandal violates the rule.’’
