Shillong, Nov 17: John Leslee K Sangma, a former MLA and resident of Mawlai Mawroh here, today slammed the hosting of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Polo over the weekend as the “most brazen disrespectful act towards residents” of Polo and areas within a 3-4km radius.
Sangma is not the only person to have complained of the noise generated by the two-day festival, which, on both Friday and Saturday, went well past midnight with its booming music and fireworks.
“I have been residing in the area at Mawlai Mawroh for the last 10 years and just like any other resident of the area had to give up my tranquillity to what seemed to be an attempt by the government of Meghalaya to boost tourism in the state,” Sangma said. “For the locals who lived close to the venue, the two-days Cherry Blossom Festival musical concert turned into two nights torture late into the night.”
He expressed concern for patients – mothers and babies – of Ganesh Das Hospital, which is just 2km away from the Cherry Blossom venue and said that the festival egregiously went beyond the limit in terms of decibels and the lateness that the festivals went on for.
Sangma said that the government has grown used to disregarding its own regulations to the point where a music festival “has taken precedence over the lives and health of its own citizens.”
In the name of promoting tourism, the government is overtly infringing on the fundamental rights of its citizens, he added. Indian law explicitly bans loud music during night time hours to protect individual’s right to rest and live in peace, a right enshrined under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, he added. “Rather than considering the well-being of healthy and youthful citizens, the government has entirely overlooked their welfare and the welfare of patients admitted at Ganesh Das Hospital and the residents in and around Polo area as their actions indicate that their priorities lie elsewhere.”
A music lover himself, Sangma said that attempts to generate revenue and spur the economy are welcome but they should not come at the cost of the “victimisation” of the citizenry. He also said that Polo was an ill-considered venue as hosting the festival there added to the city’s traffic woes.
In addition, Sangma said that he will follow up with the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, submit a formal complaint and he demanded that the Chief Minister and Tourism Minister apologise for the distress and inconvenience that the festival has caused.
