Pune: Unauthorized DJ sessions, held every Saturday and Sunday at the Hutatma Tukaram Ombale Ground in Gokhalenagar, are causing significant distress to the local community.
Despite lacking official permission, DJs play at full volume, disturbing the peace and frightening elderly residents and young children.
The sessions typically start around 3 PM, with the noise levels causing panic among residents. Even without any festival or celebration, groups of young men gather from various parts of the city to test DJs, creating an atmosphere of fear and disturbance. These events are pre-planned and publicized through social media, attracting large crowds.
Residents complain that the loud music lasts for one-and-a-half to two hours, after which the municipal room near the ground becomes a hotspot for drinking alcohol, drug abuse, hooliganism, and loud cursing.
Unauthorized street vendors also crowd the pavement, making it difficult for pedestrians to navigate the area.
Despite numerous complaints to the police, no effective action has been taken. Local residents, led by Sampada Raut and other women, have formally requested the police to take stringent action against the unauthorized DJs and to curb the rowdy behavior of the young men involved.
Ravi Khandare, Assistant Commissioner of the Shivajinagar-Ghole Road Regional Office, responded by stating that they would take possession of the concerned room and initiate appropriate measures.
Residents express growing frustration, with Ashwini Khedekar noting that the loud DJ music is creating health risks for children and the elderly. She reported that even calls to the police helpline 112 have not resulted in any relief.
Another resident, Pallavi Dhotre, highlighted the impact on her 74-year-old father, who has difficulty breathing due to the noise, and complained about the young men who drink and shout obscenities late into the night.
