Blasting music, blocked roads, garbage: Kanwar camps trouble Delhi residents

For residents living around temporary Kanwar camps in west Delhi, the annual pilgrimage has brought more than traffic diversions and crowded roads. In B-Block, Ramesh Nagar, people living close to the camps below the Ramesh Nagar metro station said loud music, late-night announcements, congestion and waste have disrupted their daily routines.

A Hindustan Times report found that sound levels inside homes closest to the camps crossed 90 decibels during the evening. At one residence, readings stood at 90.6 decibels at 6.30 pm, 91.4 at 7.30 pm and 95 at 8.30 pm.

The readings were considerably above the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) residential limit of 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night.

Residents struggle with sleep, work

For people living closest to the camps, the noise has become a daily problem. Gurbir Singh, 55, a stockbroker, said he had barely slept for three days and that his elderly mother was experiencing palpitations.

“We dread these days. I was born and brought up here. Now I curse my family for buying a house on the main road because this camp is set up here every year. I can’t sleep or work peacefully. The boombox is blaring all the time,” he told HT.

Shekhar Bhatia, 39, an MNC employee, said the noise was also affecting his elderly parents.

“Office calls are affected and at night also old people are unable to sleep because of the loud noise full night,” he told HT. “My father could not sleep peacefully all night.”

Per the HT report, Ana Gogia, 38, a chartered accountant working in Gurugram, said traffic and noise were affecting people beyond the immediate vicinity of the camps.

“I suffer from both and these days are impossible to deal with.”

Traffic, garbage add to complaints

Residents said congestion had made it harder to reach schools, offices, gyms and doctors, particularly around school timings. Some parents were reportedly choosing to collect their children themselves because of difficulties with school buses.

Komal Mutreja, 45, said the combination of noise, traffic and poor sanitation had affected her children.

“Loudspeakers, music and announcements disturb us so much. My children are not able to study. They keep getting distracted,” she told HT.

Residents also complained about discarded bottles and food packets.

“There is so much rubbish all around when they throw empty water bottles or chips packets,” Gogia said.

Safety concerns raised

Some residents said their concerns also involved movement on residential roads.

“One of the main issues is safety. They are carrying baseball bats and wooden sticks, walking in the middle of the road. They often cross the residential street too. And yes, the sound is also one of the major parameters,” Puneet Mahendru, 35, an advocate, told HT.

Residents said they had approached police over noise and traffic issues but alleged that their complaints had not led to effective action.