Pune: Recover Festival Security Costs From Ganesh Mandals, Says Vidyanand Bapat

Pune, 23rd September 2026: Activist Vidyanand Bapat on Monday demanded that the additional cost incurred by government agencies during public Ganeshotsav celebrations be recovered from festival organisers instead of being borne through taxpayers’ money. He also called for a ban on the use of loudspeakers in open spaces.

Bapat said large police deployments are required during the festival, resulting in additional expenditure from public funds. “Taxpayers’ money should instead be used to provide essential civic amenities. The cost of security arrangements required for the festival should be recovered from the organisers,” he said.

He also called for restrictions on processions on main roads, saying they lead to severe traffic congestion. According to him, processions should be allowed to use only a limited number of road lanes.

Bapat further urged the administration to clear the confusion over the norms used for measuring noise pollution. He said even social organisations and mandals conducting public programmes must ensure that their activities do not inconvenience residents.

People working from home, students and senior citizens are particularly affected by high noise levels during festivals, he said.