Bhubaneswar, Sept. 30: The Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Police have relaxed the time limit for the use of loudspeakers and musical instruments during Durga puja, but they have kept the decibel limit unchanged.

Under the Orissa Urban Police (OUP) Act, the city police restrict the use of high decibel noise-emitting instruments in public.

According to the rule, the noise must not cross the 65-decibel limit. Musical instruments and loud speakers may only be played in public from 6am to 10pm.

But the time limit has been relaxed and extended till 12pm after the commissioner of police, B.K. Sharma, held a meeting with the puja committees recently.

“No one will be allowed to play music after 12 in the night,” said Sharma.

He appealed to the puja committee members to stick to the noise limit of 65 decibel. The puja committees have agreed to do so. They said they would take measures to follow the rules.

Jagannath Mohaptra, the president of Saheed Nagar Puja Committee, said they would not employ DJs during the puja, as it leads to a lot of noise.

“We will rope in traditional band parties that use musical instruments which emit low decibel sound,” said Mohaptra. They would also install sound limiters at their puja pandals, he added.

At the same time, instead of organising melody parties, they would organise bhajan parties which would again lead to lower noise levels. However, the organisers said there were chances of violation of sound limits, as the limit fixed is quite low.

This year, more than 140 puja pendals will be set up in the city as well as its outskirts. As all these puja pendals will use loudspeakers, noise pollution levels will go up. Environmentalists, however, said there was no cause for concern.

“Even so, our teams will assess the situation and will check the sound limits in the city during pujas,” said B.N. Bhola, senior environmentalist. Police officials too said they would check sound limit violations and fine the violators under the OUP Act.

This puja, traditional band parties will be more in demand and will have more opportunity to make earnings unlike their modern counterparts DJs, who were earlier in a great demand a few years ago.

Ratikant Sethi, a band party owner, said this puja his party would have a better chance to make earnings. “Our instruments do not produce high decibel sounds and so, the police restriction on sound has helped us,” said Sethi.

noise alert

Sound limit: 65 decibel

Time limit earlier: 6am to 10pm

Time limit during Dussehra: 6 am to 12pm