Winter is approaching fast and so the season of celebration. Wedding party is the biggest family and social festival to take place during the winter in this country. Other social parties to celebrate a number of occasions also pace up in this season. With the celebration, public nuisance and disturbance also increase in proportion. In the name of celebration, a number of events actually turn into a nightmare for neighbours.
Gaey-halud (turmeric smearing) has already turned into a most disturbing part of a wedding celebration in many cases. Organised on rooftop of a building with songs and music from loudspeakers, the party goes crazy and sometime rowdy. Without giving a scant thought to neighbours' inconveniences, organisers continue the party until midnight keeping loudspeakers on. They don't bother about students appearing for exams, elderly people, patients and children. Some other parties also take place to celebrate birthday or other social-family occasions. Like gaey-halud, these also sometime become disturbing mainly due to noisy music.
The sad thing is that there is hardly any drive by the law enforcing agency to stop this disturbance as well as noise pollution. Neighbours are also shaky to lodge complaint with police due to possible backlash from the noise polluters. Most of them are influential or connected with influential quarters. The police are also not interested to keep the identity of those who seek legal remedy secret. Two years back, a senior citizen was beaten to death for protesting a rooftop party. He didn't object the celebration but requested to stop the loudspeaker after 10.00 pm. Though a case was filed, it is still pending.
As a matter of fact, objecting or protesting any minor wrongdoing or crime becomes difficult nowadays. Wrongdoers and criminals have their backing in different forms. Erosion of moral values and ethics and breakdown of social bonding mainly due to narrow political gain have shrunken the space of legitimate protest. As a result, people could neither sleep until midnight, nor ask organisers to stop loudspeakers out of fear. They think it is better to put up with the torture of sound than being assaulted by social miscreants.
Against the backdrop, the only option to stop the disturbance may be greater awareness among members of society. Use of loudspeaker is not only disturbing but also harmful to all. Those who are organising such a party need to understand the negative effect of loudspeakers on them also. Some sensible fellows are also there who can play a critical role to contain the rowdiness.
