Locals cry foul at noisy banquet hall in SRPF headquarters

The pandemonium and pageantry that is an Indian wedding is legendary not just here, but across the globe. However, residents of Vikas Nagar area in Wanowrie area are hardly in a celebratory mood. Annoyed by the boisterous commemoration of marriages at Alankaran banquet hall and the adjacent lawn located in the premises of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) headquarters, locals have warned that they will stage a protest on August 15.

Pomp and show: Locals say that rent for the lawn and wedding hall is steep, so only affluent weddings are organised here, and that the open space, which was originally created for the force's daily exercises, is now reserved as parking space for people who attend weddings

Residents have already submitted a proposal to assistant commandant of SRPF group II Nageshwar Ray, requesting him to look into the matter. However, they claim they have received no response so far.

The denizens say people attending the weddings enter the banquet hall through the main entrance of the SRPF headquarters, posing a security risk. Apart from this, the baratis create a nuisance by playing deafening music and bursting crackers in the area, which is a silent zone because of the presence of a charitable trust hospital and a school in the vicinity.

"Big processions, loudspeakers and bursting of crackers till late at night has made our lives miserable," said advocate Kishor Baligar, a resident of Vikas Nagar. He added that locals have complained to Wanowrie police, the police control room and the SRPF commandant on many occasions, but all in vain.

Another resident Abhijeet Ghoman said that the open space, which was originally created for the force's daily exercises, is now reserved as parking space for people who attend weddings. Some guests also park their cars in the residential areas. The rent for the lawn and wedding hall is steep, so only affluent weddings are organised in Alankaran hall, locals say.

Hospital authorities are also irked by the conduct of the people who attend the weddings.

"The constant exposure to loud music is detrimental to the health of our patients. They have to suffer needlessly," said administrator of the neighbouring Ayodhya Charitable Trust Hospital, BS Katke.

When this reporter visited the hall, no one performed a security check at the entrance, and her presence on the campus of SRPF headquarters was also not questioned.

"After receiving a proposal from residents, the management has strengthened the rules and now no one bursts crackers here," said inspector GS Kokate from SRPF, who looks after the management of wedding halls. Kokate also pooh-poohed the security concerns by claiming that cops could recognise criminals by merely looking at them.

MiD DAY also tried to contact SRPF commandant Sanjay Jadhav and assistant commandant Nageshwar Ray. However, they were not present in their offices and their mobile phones were switched off. u00a0