Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 23: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday announced a two-hour relaxation on the use of loudspeakers during Navratri festivities, allowing Ramlila performances, Durga Puja pandals, and other religious events to continue with sound amplification till midnight.

“I always noticed that our Hindu festivals face difficulties. Ramlila or Durga Puja can never end at 10 pm. When Dandiya can go on all night in Gujarat, when events can happen all night in other states, then why can’t the same be for the people of Delhi? So this time we have given permission to all Ramlilas, Durga Pujas, and cultural-religious festivals to continue until 12 am,” Gupta said.

Delhi’s current law bans loudspeaker use in public areas between 10 pm and 6 am, with prior police permission mandatory. A similar exemption was granted last year under the previous Aam Aadmi Party government.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister joined a cleanliness drive as part of the Sewa Pakhwada marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. She urged political workers to avoid defacing property with posters or wall writing. “Defacement of property through wall writing and pasting posters is a very big crime that makes the city dirty. I especially urge politicians that no defacement of property will be tolerated. Do not dare to paste posters with my photo,” she warned.