Swargate Deshpande . ‘Citizens of Pune have not treated the Pawars well’ NCP chief Sharad Pawar opens up during a book launch event; recounts memories Ghorpade We will either impose a ban or seize the deposit. The norms have been set as per the directions of the NGT issued in Oct 2015 and they prohibit loudspeakers in public gardens and noise beyond permissible limits — Ashok Ghorpade, chief supdt, garden department, PMC Illegal flexes on JM Rd demand PMC attention Commuters decry that vital sky signs are obscured by banners of political well-wishers, want them ripped down right away Cultural activities such as Diwali pahat or Diwali Padwa in various parks located in the heart of the city are always a centre of attraction. Thousands of Punekars visit these events every year to enjoy classical musical events along with traditional Diwali celebrations. However, this year, it turned out that these events are slowly killing the verdant peace of these parks, due to firecrackers being set off and plastic and other waste being dumped.After complaints from several citizens, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) garden department has decided to initiate action against alleged violations reported from three major gardens — Sarasbaug near, Ram Manohar Lohiya in Hadapsar and Pu Laon Sinhagad Road.The civic body is also thinking of imposing a ban on the organisers in future. The option of seizing the deposit amount is also under consideration.The Sarasbaug garden, the largest in the city, was apparently the most affected after a huge number of firecrackers were set off by visitors on November 7 and 8, causing two trees to burn down. Thousands of visitors also turned the lush greenery of the park into a dumping ground, with plastic and other material strewn all over. The organisers, too, did not bother to clean up the mess for two days.Similarly, noise pollution rules were majorly violated at the Pu La Deshpande Garden and Ram Manohar Lohiya gardens. At Lohiya, a huge screen was installed telecasting the Diwali Pahat live.Speaking to Mirror, the garden department’s chief superintendent Ashoksaid, “We have called for details of all three events from the staff. As per the complaint, we will verify the details and take appropriate action against the event organisers. I am expecting the details by Monday. If found guilty, the organisers will be punished. We will either impose a ban or seize the deposit. The norms have been set as per the directions of National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued in October 2015 and they prohibit using any loudspeakers in public gardens and creating noise beyond permissible limits. Here, crackers have been burst, which is simply not acceptable.”“PMC issues No Objection Certificates (NOC) to these organisers with the conditions that they obey sound decibel limits and do not destroy the greenery of the parks. The organisers have already submitted such affidavits to the civic body,” he added.When contacted, Yuvaraj Shah, who has been organising the Diwali Pahat at Sarasbaug for the past 22 years, said, “There was a huge crowd of visitors this year as compared to previous years as singer and musician Jitendra Bhuruk was performing and entry was free. It was difficult to keep a watch on every individual. The policemen deployed were also helpless.”“Due to Diwali holidays, the cleaning staff also failed to clear up the place the next day. We tried to do it in time, but failed,” he admitted.“We will ensure that there is no repetition of this in future. We have requested authorities to reopen the gate near Gajanan Maharaj Temple to avoid any untoward incident in the park due to crowds,” said Shah.

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