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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

Marathwada on boil

Mumbai: Emboldened by his fiery stance, local coordination committees issued an ultimatum to the administration, declaring a complete Marathwada Bandh for Thursday, with voluntary shut-downs already paralyzing towns across Latur, Nanded, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. While essential services are expected to function, wholesale agricultural markets, commercial centres, government establishments, and educational institutions face forced closures. In dozens of ham-lets across Marathwada,...

Marathwada on boil

Mumbai: Emboldened by his fiery stance, local coordination committees issued an ultimatum to the administration, declaring a complete Marathwada Bandh for Thursday, with voluntary shut-downs already paralyzing towns across Latur, Nanded, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. While essential services are expected to function, wholesale agricultural markets, commercial centres, government establishments, and educational institutions face forced closures. In dozens of ham-lets across Marathwada, villagers erected banners banning politicians from entering, declaring a complete boycott of elected leaders until statutory reservation is codified. Faced with escalating turmoil, the state machinery initiated high-level consultations to defuse the standoff. The Cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation met in Mumbai before key minis-ters travelled to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, attempting to open negotiation channels with Antarwali Sarati. Administrative emissaries and local legislators were sent to the protest site to persuade Jarange to accept medical aid, assuring him that administrative hurdles were being dismantled. Speaking to reporters, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee, em-phasized that the administration was actively awaiting a breakthrough. “We are waiting for their response. We shall immediately go to Antarwali Sarati if they indicate possibility of discussion over the draft,” he said. The minister further explained that as per demands the authorities had already furnished a pen drive containing 58 lakh Kunbi caste records to the agitators, noting that the procedure to grant certificates based on the historical Hyderabad Gazetteer has com-menced, with 3,300 certificates already distributed. Vikhe-Patil also gave assurances that dedi-cated divisional camps would soon be set up across Maharashtra to expedite all pending applica-tions. Simultaneously, the Chief Minister reiterated the state’s commitment to an equitable resolution while appealing for restraint. “We appeal to Manoj Jarange Patil to prioritize his health and coop-erate with medical teams. Street violence and blocking highways will only cause hardship to or-dinary citizens, farmers, and students. Dialogue remains the only viable path to an enduring solu-tion,” he said. Despite these administrative assurances, the rift between the agitators’ demand for an immedi-ate blanket notification and the government’s procedural constraints remains wide. With youth staging relay fasts outside district collectorates and activists threatening an en masse march to Mumbai, Maharashtra stands on a delicate precipice as law enforcement braces for Thursday’s region-wide shutdown. Addressing the swelling crowds at his protest marquee on Wednesday afternoon, Jarange issued an unsparing warning to the government. “The government has tested our patience enough. We are not sitting here to beg for char-ity; we are demanding our constitutional right that was denied for generations,” Jarange told the gathering. “If a sin-gle drop of blood is spilt or if anything happens to my life, the government alone will bear the responsibility for the fury that follows across Maharashtra. We will not take a single step backward until the notification is in our hands.”

The Battle for a Quieter Ganeshotsav

As DJs, Dolby systems and crowded mandaps return, Pune residents are pushing back against noise and traffic during the city’s biggest festival.

Pune: The majority of the city’s residents have impotently opposed the use of ear-splitting DJ systems during the Ganeshotsav festival year after year. This year, citizens are voicing their opposition through various channels, while also expressing strong disapproval of festival mandaps (temporary pavilions) that obstruct traffic.

 

Mayor Manjusha Nagpure had convened a meeting at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for activists from Ganeshotsav mandals and citizens to discuss preparations for the festival. During the meeting, Vidyanand Bapat, a young environmental enthusiast, argued that loudspeakers should be banned during the festival and suggested moving the celebrations outside the city limits.


He was immediately challenged by other activists, mandal workers. As tensions rose in the meeting, police and municipal security personnel intervened, forming a protective ring around Bapat and escorting him out safely. A video of this incident went viral on social media, sparking a city-wide debate on the issue.


Incessant Noise

Later, in an interview, Bapat stated, “I live in Narayan Peth. Residents of the peth areas face constant disturbance for a month or even a month and a half during the festival specifically due to noise pollution and traffic congestion. For a month prior to the festival, Dhol-Lezim troupes practice along the riverbanks. The noise drives residents to distraction, yet they feel unable to speak out. Sound amplifiers, whether DJ systems or loudspeakers, must be banned entirely. Erecting mandaps on the narrow streets of the peth areas is simply wrong. The nature of the festival needs to evolve with the times; celebrations should be held in open spaces outside the city.”


Bapat suggested that processions on six-lane roads should proceed along only one side. He also stated that he does not accept the Hindu-Muslim narrative being attached to this demand, noting that he is a rationalist himself. Following this incident, citizens from various areas have voiced their opinions to the police department. An appeal was made for Punekars to gather at a junction in Deccan Gymkhana to advocate for a DJ-free festival, a call that is receiving a massive response.


A statement issued on behalf of the citizens reads, “We do not oppose the festival itself; we support the constructive activities associated with it. However, we object to the excessive use of Dolby sound systems and DJs in the name of the festival.”


Legal Recourse

Certain organizations and groups have even approached the courts to oppose the excessive use of DJs. The Police Commissioner has imposed restrictions on DJ sound levels and completely banned the use of plasma and laser technologies. Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has warned that if these limits are violated, the equipment will be confiscated on the spot.


Regarding the use of DJs, Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol stated that there is absolutely no place for plasma screens, high-pressure sound systems, and laser lights in the festival. While the police have imposed restrictions on the number of performers and instruments in Dhol-Tasha troupes, Mohol holds the view that such restrictions should not be unreasonable. Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha member Medha Kulkarni has taken a firm stand, declaring that ear-splitting DJs have no place in the festival.


In the Peth areas (old city neighbourhoods), mandals have begun erecting marquees in accordance with permits issued by the Municipal Corporation and the police. As a result, citizens have to face the brunt of traffic congestion throughout the day. Rickshaw drivers refuse passengers owing to the logjams created by these mandaps. In fact, crossing a relatively short stretch from Tilak Road to Alka Talkies becomes a herculean task. While environmental activists have begun to speak out with force against the excess during festivals, it remains to be seen what actually happens during the festive period.

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