Use of DJ systems, crackers during religious processions prohibited in Hyderabad

A notification to this effect was issued here on Tuesday. As part of steps to control sound pollution during religious processions, the use of sound systems will be permitted but it will be restricted to the sound decibel limits as mentioned in the G.O.Ms. No. 172, dated October 12, 2010 of the Environment, Forest, Science and Technology department.

Police clearance will be required to be taken both by the organizers who hire the equipment and the dealers and company supplying the sound system equipment. As per Supreme Court order - day time shall mean from 6 am to 10 pm while night time shall mean from 10 pm to 6 am.

A loud speaker or a public address system or a DJ system shall not be used during the night from 10 pm to 6 am. A silence zone is defined as an area comprising not less than 100 meters around hospitals, educational institutions and courts.

The use of firecrackers is also prohibited only during all religious processions in Hyderabad. Violations of the instructions regarding DJ systems and firecrackers will lead to penal action under the following provisions of Hyderabad City Police Act, 1348 Fasli, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Environment Protection Act-1986, Noise Pollution (Regulation & Control) Rules-2000, and Hyderabad City Loudspeakers (Regulation of use and Licensing) Rules- 1963

Anand said the notification would come into force with immediate effect and will apply to all religious processions in Hyderabad. All the Station House Officers (SHOs­) and Additional Inspectors of Law and Order police stations of Hyderabad will immediately serve the notification on all religious processions organizers as well as suppliers of DJ sound systems and suppliers of fireworks.

All the SHOs and Addition Inspectors of law and order police stations of Hyderabad are authorized to take appropriate legal action against those who violate this notification, he said.

According to Anand, in Hyderabad and surrounding areas various religious festivals are celebrated, involving big processions comprising thousands of people, throughout the year. It is observed that the use of DJ Sound and firecrackers in these religious processions has alarmingly increased in recent times.

There is more competition among the procession organizers to hire bigger and louder DJ Systems. The use of DJ system is harmful to the human body besides causing a lot of noise pollution. A prolonged exposure to the high decibel of sound emanated by these DJ systems is extremely damaging for human health.

Further, it is also noticed that the youth tend to be over excited and indisciplined whenever the DJ system is played at extremely high volume. This can result in confusion, improper communication among the procession organizers and other government departments - Police, Revenue, GHMC, etc., and this can further result in lack of proper monitoring of the movement of the procession, increasing the chances of uncontrolled behavior by the participants and even to the extent of creating law and order issues.

More importantly, there has been an exponential increase in complaints made by public through various channels, including Dial 100 about noise pollution in their residential areas, leading to health issues in old people and residents and disturbance of children's education. The use of firecrackers in a procession route filled with hundreds and thousands of people is also full of danger.

In a recent incident, during a religious procession on September 19, 2024, one generator meant for DJ system caught fire at Charminar probably due to sparks from firecrackers reaching the nearby generator. Luckily, the fire was promptly brought under control and no damage was done. This incident led to rumour mongering and communal tension and the situation could have turned very serious.

During a recent meeting of all stakeholders was convened by the Commissioner of Police with various religious processions organizers, senior representatives of political parties and government departments about the restriction on use of DJ system and firecrackers in various religious processions.

A power-point presentation given by the Commissioner of Police highlighted the dangers to not only human health but also the difficulties being faced by police and other departments about the uncontrolled use of DJ systems and bursting of firecrackers.

The real video clips of extremely high intensity sounds generated by DJ sound systems were also played before the audience. The video appeals made by elders of various communities, speaking against the DJ music culture in recent times, were also played. Almost all the participants, political parties and heads of organizations, unanimously agreed on preventing the use of the DJ system and fireworks during religious processions and strict measures need to be taken to enforce it.