Loud DJs Turn AP Celebrations Into Sleepless Nights?

AP Noise Pollution

Andhra Pradesh is slowly turning celebrations into sleepless nights for its residents. Vinayaka Chavithi, Dasara, and now Municipal Elections have brought the same problem to streets and residential neighbourhoods: extremely loud DJ systems, blaring speakers and music that continues for hours. What should be moments of celebration have become a source of distress for people who simply want to sleep peacefully in their own homes.

The issue is no longer about someone being disturbed by a few minutes of music. Mirchi9 spoke to people in several areas and heard accounts that show how badly excessive noise is affecting everyday lives. One particularly disturbing account involved a 60-year-old woman suffering from glaucoma. She needs adequate rest and sleep to manage her condition. During Vinayaka Chavithi celebrations, continuous DJ music reportedly kept her awake for three consecutive days and nights. Her condition deteriorated, and she began experiencing hallucinations. She is now undergoing psychiatric treatment.

Another employee spoke about going through three consecutive sleepless nights because of loud music in the neighbourhood. For someone who has to wake up and attend work, losing sleep night after night is not a small inconvenience. It affects concentration, health, productivity and the ability to function normally the following day. The same situation repeated during Dasara. Now, with municipal elections underway, residential areas are once again filled with loudspeakers and campaign songs belonging to TDP, Jana Sena and YSRCP. Political parties are competing to make their presence felt, but residents are left dealing with the noise. Political enthusiasm cannot become an excuse to disturb an entire neighbourhood.

The concern is not about opposing festivals, religious traditions or political campaigns. People have every right to celebrate, organise processions and express their political support. But that right cannot come at the expense of another person’s health and peace. A celebration loses its meaning when an elderly woman cannot sleep, a patient cannot rest and an employee cannot recover after a working day. India’s Noise Pollution Rules, 2000 require written permission for loudspeaker use and generally restrict it between 10 PM and 6 AM, with limited exemptions for specified festive occasions. Andhra Pradesh’s election guidelines also restrict campaign loudspeaker use to 6 AM to 10 PM. These permissions are not a licence for unlimited volume or continuous disturbance.

The bigger failure is enforcement. Authorities cannot remain focused only on granting permissions and managing processions. They must also consider the people living along those routes. Police should act when sound systems cross permissible limits, regardless of whether the noise comes from a festival committee or a political party.

Andhra Pradesh does not need quieter celebrations. It needs celebrations that respect other people’s lives. The freedom to celebrate should never become the freedom to make others suffer.