Gandaki house panel discusses sound pollution by discos, clubs

POKHARA: The first meeting of the Directive Implementation Monitoring Sub-committee under the Economic and Development Committee of the Gandaki Province Assembly held discussions on the activities of the Provincial Market Monitoring Committee.

Province Assembly Member Ganesh Man Gurung, who chairs the sub-committee, said tourism enterprises like hotels and restaurants are on the verge of being displaced, while unregulated businesses such as discos, dance bars, dohori restaurants, and party palaces are not adhering to stipulated guidelines. “Loud music coming from these establishments late into the night is negatively affecting senior citizens, children, students, and tourists,” Gurung said, urging regulatory bodies to enforce standards for businesses that disregard consumer interests.

Another Province Assembly Member, Prakash Baral, called on businesses to operate with a sense of responsibility. He suggested that traffic police conduct checks in a systematic manner rather than trapping motorists in ‘ambushes’.

Likewise, another Province Assembly Member, Sita Sundas, recommended conducting sector-specific monitoring to make market monitoring activities more streamlined.

Also speaking at the meeting, Ramesh Poudel, Vice President of the Consumer Forum Gandaki, urged officials to strictly monitor motor vehicles emitting black smoke. Advocate Gita Acharya requested authorities to control the arbitrary pricing of daily essentials.