NDMC restricts playing of loud music near India Gate to avoid disturbance during retreat ceremony

The New Delhi Municipal Council has asked event organisers in the vicinity of India Gate and National War Memorial to ensure no loud music or sound is played half an hour before the sunset as it causes "avoidable disturbance" during the daily retreat ceremony.

The retreat ceremony is carried out every evening just before the sunset and it is witnessed by a large number of visitors. The entire ceremony lasts for less than 15 minutes.

"Any music or loud sounds in the vicinity of the monument at the time of bugle call during the retreat ceremony causes avoidable disturbance," the civic body said.

"lt is therefore requested that organisers of various events in the vicinity of lndia Gate and National War Memorial be sensitised to avoid playing any music for about half an hour before the sunset," it said in its guidelines.

The municipal council said the timings can be further coordinated by the respective functionaries on ground with the National War Memorial staff.

The memorial, spread over 40 acres, is an iconic monument set up by the Defence Ministry and was dedicated to the armed forces by the prime minister in February this year.

The average daily footfall at the India Gate area on weekdays is over 10,000, which swells beyond 20,000 during the weekends, NDMC said.

Being a national monument, not only the footfall will increase, the monument will routinely be visited by various delegations and visiting heads of state, it added.