Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) Several residents of buildings in the vicinity of the iconic Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Friday cited noise pollution, inconvenience and disruption to normal daily activities to oppose the Cockroach Janta Party’s agitation seeking the ouster of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Such agitations cause inconvenience to people living and working in the vicinity, these residents said, with some claiming they had to keep their establishments closed due to the crowd of protesters.
The protest by CJP, which began around 4 pm under very sunny conditions, was well-attended with thousands thronging the vicinity of the iconic ground despite lack of police permission.
The opposition by residents, however, was met with sarcasm from some quarters, especially since Shivaji Park, over the years, has been the site of massive political rallies, bringing in lakhs of attendants.
Renowned scriptwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar, in a post on X, said he was glad that some Shivaji Park residents had raised concerns over noise pollution and sought cancellation of the CJP protest.
However, he added, apparently in a sarcastic vein, that he was “hundred per cent sure” that residents would raise the same objection with the same or greater intensity whenever a political party in Maharashtra organised a public meeting at Shivaji Park.
Akhtar’s wife and award-winning actor Shabana Azmi took part in the CJP protest and addressed the crowd from stage.
Incidentally, on September 29, the residents’ opposition had surfaced. A group had confronted CJP members at Shivaji Park and had asked them to leave the site.
Some local residents said there was no objection to the CJP’s programme as such, but only to the manner in which demonstrations are conducted and their impact on the surrounding area.
They said citizens have the right to protest but must follow rules, adding that a peaceful atmosphere must be maintained. Crowds and the resulting commotion cause inconvenience to the public, they added. PTI KK BNM
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