Classical music treat at Atre from Friday

KALYAN: A three-day-long Devgandharva classical music festival will begin at Archarya Atre auditorium on Friday.

This year, flautist Rakesh Chaurasia’s performance is the highlight of the festival.

The festival is organised by 92-year-old Kalyan Gayan Samaj. Started in 2001, it is organising the festival for the 18th year.

“This year, music lovers will get to see three popular artistes performing live,” said Prashant Dandekar, organiser of the festival.

“This year, we have senior as well as young artistes to ensure each age group of music lovers is able to enjoy the fest.,” he added.

The last day of the festival will

have Yogesh Samsi playing the tabla and singer Raghunandan Panshikar singing classical songs.

“Single day tickets will be available on the day of the event two hours before the show. People can also book tickets for all three days,” added Dandekar.

Ticket prices are ₹1,500, ₹1,050 and ₹750 for the entire three days. Daily tickets will cost ₹400 and ₹300.

THANE: Fed up of noise pollution for years, residents of Vartak Nagar will file a public interest litigation (PIL) against Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) foritsfailuretoburbthemenace.

An open air banquet hall owned by the civic body is noisy and does not follow any rules. Despite repeated complaints by residents, TMC has not taken steps to address the problem.

“Being an open air hall, there will be disturbances in the area. But we will try to curb the noise pollution by informing those booking the hall. We shall look intotheproblemofthelocals and take a decision on the same soon,” said Sandeep Malvi, deputy municipal commissioner, TMC.

Located adjacent to a bustling

Vedant Complex, the open air hall is as big as a football ground. A signboard outside the gate says there should be no bursting of crackers or loud music.

Residents have been facing noise problems for the past few years. With new buildings coming up in the vicinity, residents have complained about the noise in the residential area as parties andfunctionscontinuetilllatein the night. There are more than 10,000 families residing in Dosti Vihar, Vedant Complex, Kores Nakshatra and other housing societies.

“For the past two to three years, residentshavebeenstruggling. The sound of firecrackers and live music is irritating. The wedding procession with live bandandloudmusicdisruptsthe peace and quiet of the area. Children and senior citizens are the most affected people,” said Kasber Augustine, president, Thane Citizens’ Foundation.

Theresidentshadapproached the local ward offices but no action was taken. They later approached the Thane Citizen’s Foundation.

“WehadapproachedTMCand the police to complain about the problem but no one paid heed to our issues. We will file a PIL soon,” said Chanda Chowdhari, 57, aresidentofVedantComplex.

“Those who book the ground get a list of rules to be followed. Also, there is a board outside but the rules are flouted. We want strict action against the menace,” he said.

Residents also complained that the roads are full of parked vehicles, restricting the space to walk.

“The constant flow of vehicles during functions causes traffic jams. Sometimes vehicles are parked outside the gates of housing societies which is inconvenient for us,” said Gulabrao Sonawane, 70, residentofVedant complex.

“10pm is the deadline for the functions but they continue much after the deadline. Bright lights on the ground are a disturbance too,” he added.