Maharashtra: BJP Leader Seeks Statewide Ban On DJ Speakers

She said festivals should be celebrated without causing harm to people's health. The demand for a ban on DJs has gained momentum after Pune-based environmental activist Vidyanand Bapat launched a campaign opposing DJs and loudspeakers at public celebrations.

The issue has divided public opinion, with one section supporting DJs, loudspeakers and traditional dhol-tasha performances, while another is calling for restrictions to curb noise pollution.

Speaking to this newspaper, Ms Bordikar said she lost her cousin, Sandeep Kadam, in 2024 after he was exposed to loud DJ music during a Ganesh immersion procession in Parbhani. “My 30-year-old cousin’s heartbeat used to increase and he would feel dizzy because of the loud DJ music. The incident occurred while I was sitting in a tent and he was dancing to DJ music during the procession,” she said.

Ms Bordikar said the use of DJs was seriously affecting citizens' health, particularly their hearing, and could damage the eardrums. “Following this incident, I ensured that DJs were banned in Parbhani district during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in 2025. The ban will continue this year as well. In the coming days, I will write to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking his intervention to impose a ban on DJs across the State,” the minister said.

Ms Bordikar, who was on a tour of Dharashiv district for the Chief Minister Community Health Camp 2026, said the ban on DJs was justified and that court orders must be followed. “Unfortunately, my own cousin died during the Ganesh festival because of the DJ. We have repeatedly pointed out that even the Supreme Court has imposed restrictions on DJs, but people are unwilling to accept them. We have all experienced the harmful consequences that loud DJ music can cause,” she said.

Her remarks assume significance amid growing demands for a ban on DJs during the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which is scheduled to begin in Maharashtra on September 14.

Meanwhile, Pune witnessed a protest on Sunday against the use of DJs during public festivals, with demonstrators demanding a complete ban to curb noise pollution. The protesters raised slogans asserting that every citizen had the right to peace and protection from excessive noise.

The protest march, organised at Balgandharva Rang Mandir, questioned why authorities could not impose a ban on DJs in Pune when similar restrictions had been announced in cities such as Solapur and Nagpur.

The march proceeded to the Pune Municipal Corporation headquarters, where a public meeting was held. Speakers alleged that the Pune police had failed to control excessive noise levels during Saturday's Dahi Handi celebrations.