No dandiya at BMC ground in Sion koliwada, says HC
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by a local group seeking directions to the civic body to process its application for permission to organise dandiya at a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ground in Sion koliwada.
The division bench of acting chief justice Naresh Patil and justice Girish Kulkarni was informed by the BMC that the group was issued a show-cause notice in 2016.
The group claimed it had been organising dandiya at the same venue for the past 11 years and although there were no complaints against the them, the civic body refused to issue permission this year.
Surprisingly, the civic body had granted permission to organise dandiya event at the same venue in 2017.
But the BMC informed the court it had rejected the application citing 124 complaints against the event. It even alleged that the organisers have been violating norms.
Ashish Dubey, lawyer representing Young Men’s Association, informed the court that with Navratri celebrations a day away, the organisers were left in a quandary as the BMC was yet to issue permission to organise dandiya at D Barnabas ground this year.
He said the venue is a public ground and has hosted various public events in the past.
In response, the BMC lawyer told the court that the group’s application had been rejected as the organisers have been flouting noise pollution norms and causing inconvenience to the residents.
The lawyer said the civic body took action based on the complaints filed by the locals.
After hearing both the sides, the bench rejected the petition.