Sunburn faces penalties worth Rs 1 crore, police cases

Pune: Sunburn Festival ended on December 31, but it appears troubles are just beginning for its beleaguered organisers. The revenue department has imposed a Rs 60.5 lakh fine on the latter for excavating land for a road and the venue without its permission. Also, the registration and stamps department has asked Sunburn to pay Rs 42 lakh. Meanwhile, residents of villages near the venue have registered complaints against the organisers for causing noise pollution.

The electronic dance music (EDM) festival was organised at Kesnand village near Pune. Percept India Private Limited, the organiser of the festival, had excavated land on a hill in the village to create a 30-foot-wide road from the bottom of the hill to the venue uphill. Land was also excavated uphill for levelling.

Jyoti Kadam, circle officer, Wagholi, said, “To excavate land one requires permission from both the tehsildar and the mining department at the district level. Besides, fees need to be paid before excavating land. Percept India excavated land on survey no. 59 and 60 of Kesnand village without permission and without paying fees. 2,461 brass (a measure of quantity for loose material) of land was excavated, according to an inspection by the tehsildar’s office. They need to pay Rs 60.52 lakh as a fine, as per article 48(7) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Rules, 1966 within seven days.”

Percept received another shock from the registration and stamps department. Sonappa Yamgar, deputy controller, Pune division, said, “Sunburn, has taken 90 acres of land at Kesnand on a lease for five years. It should have paid fees of Rs 42.59 lakh, as the land was taken on lease.

However, the company has paid Rs 12,500, showing that it had taken the place on rent. The company should pay the amount within a month or they will be charged 2 per cent each month on delay.”

Meanwhile, residents from the villages of Kesnand and Tulapur, and the Bhatakya Vimukta Jati Shikshan Sanstha residential school in Wagholi, registered three separate complaints in the police station against Sunburn Festival for causing noise pollution at night.

Girish Jamode, a complainant from Kesnand, explaining why he had decided to file a police complaint, said, “Elders and children have been deprived of sleep at night due to the music that was being blasted at the festival. Most of our neighbours have been facing the same problems.

Harindra Singh, CEO, Percept India, could not be reached at the time of going to press.