A Ganesh Puja mandap in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 10: In the past 24 hours, city police have received at least 50 calls from people complaining about noise pollution at Ganesh Puja pandals.

The complainants, who called up the police helpline 100 and also various police stations, said that in certain cases, the loudspeakers had been blaring songs even after the restricted hours of 10pm to 6am.

Residents alleged that the puja organisers were keeping the volumes of the loud speakers so high that it was becoming unbearable. Most of those affected were patients and children.

“My son has an examination tomorrow, but the puja pandals near my house are playing music do loud that it has become impossible for the little one to concentrate on his studies,” said Ratnakar Das of Ashok Nagar.

He said at least five puja pandals had been set up near his house and each organiser had installed high-decibel loudspeakers. Das later dialled 100 for help. A police control room van rushed to the area and instructed the Puja organisers to turn off their loudspeakers.

Samar Patra of Baramunda had heart surgery last week and was advised to take rest. But blaring loudspeakers at nearby Puja pandals had been causing him a lot of discomfort.

He complained to the cops, but the loudspeakers were not turned off. “After my complaints, the cops visited the area and the noise died down for a brief period, but was back later,” said Patra.

The Puja organisers have also been openly breaching the time limit for using loudspeakers. Over 500 small and big puja pandals have been set up in schools, colleges, clubs and by youth and various other organisations in the city.

However, Puja organisers had a different tale to tell. While some of them denied that they were violating the norms, many youth associations said people should bear with them since they only organise the Puja once a year.

“We hold this Puja for two to three days in a year. If we don’t use loudspeakers, how will we create a festive atmosphere?” asked Deepak Mandal of Old Town.

The city police have instructed puja organisers to stick to the 65-decibel limit and to minimise the use of loudspeakers near schools, colleges, hospitals and where elderly people reside.