06 September,2026 11:12 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat also opposed the use of DJs and high-powered loudspeakers during festivals. File Pic/X
Maharashtra Minister of State for Health Meghana Bordikar and district Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat on Sunday urged people to avoid using DJ sound systems during festivals, citing concerns over noise pollution and public health, reported the PTI.
Speaking to reporters, Bordikar said festivals should be celebrated with enthusiasm but should not cause distress or health risks to others.
Bordikar said she had personally experienced the dangers associated with high-decibel DJ systems after her cousin died last year.
"Unfortunately, my cousin died because of a DJ system last year," she said, adding that repeated appeals to people and guidelines issued by the Supreme Court had not always led to compliance, the news agency reported.
She warned that excessive use of DJs could have serious and, in some cases, fatal consequences.
Shirsat also opposed the use of DJs and high-powered loudspeakers during festivals. He said the city administration and police would enforce noise regulations strictly and urged organisers to opt for traditional forms of music, according to the PTI.
Shirsat was speaking after chairing a preparatory meeting for the upcoming Ganesh festival. While acknowledging that public opinion on DJ use was divided, he said public health and safety should remain the priority.
"As far as our city is concerned, we do not want DJ systems," Shirsat said, warning that violators would face action under the law.
He said offenders could be fined and vehicles carrying DJ equipment could be seized. He also appealed to Ganesh mandals to voluntarily avoid high-decibel sound systems rather than face enforcement action.
Shirsat urged citizens to celebrate the Ganesh festival with enthusiasm while preserving its traditional character.
He said celebrations should also take into account the needs of children and elderly people, allowing everyone to participate comfortably and experience the cultural significance of the festival, as per the PTI.
Maharashtra Minister Yogesh Kadam on Sunday said that sound during Hindu festivals will not be stopped, asserting that this is the position of both the state government and the Shiv Sena. His remarks come amid a growing debate in the state over the use of high-decibel DJ systems during religious celebrations, reported the PTI.
Kadam, Minister of State in the Home Department, made the comments at a Dahi Handi event in Mumbai on Saturday.
Kadam said he had made his position clear in Pune a day earlier and reiterated it in Mumbai.
He said Hindu festivals could not be celebrated without sound and claimed that stopping sound during such occasions was not the stand of the Shiv Sena or the state government.
His remarks come as demands for restrictions on DJs and high-powered loudspeakers during festivals gain momentum across Maharashtra.
The demand for festivals without DJs and high-powered loudspeakers has been gaining momentum across Maharashtra amid concerns over noise pollution.
Pune-based activist Vidyanand Bapat has emerged as one of the prominent voices opposing the use of high-decibel sound systems during festivals. His campaign has added to the wider debate over balancing festive celebrations with public health, noise regulations and the rights of residents.
(with PTI inputs)
