A fresh dispute over festival celebrations has surfaced at the Poonam Estate Cluster-1 residential complex in Mira Road, located in Maharashtra's Thane district. Management officials of the housing society have refused to grant a no-objection certificate to around 120 families who sought permission to hold Garba, Dandiya, and cultural gatherings in the common areas. The confrontation follows communal friction and administrative intervention witnessed at the same complex in May 2026 over keeping goats ahead of Bakrid.
120 Families Sought 10-Day Cultural Schedule
Poonam Estate Cluster-1 comprises approximately 625 flats occupied by diverse communities. Looking forward to the festive season, roughly 120 families submitted a proposal to organize Garba, Dandiya, and traditional cultural programmes across ten days, from October 11 to October 20. The organizing residents stated that the events would take place in the shared open courtyard of the housing complex. Furthermore, the applicants formally offered to comply with all noise pollution standards, local administration directives, internal society regulations, and mandatory sanitation and safety protocols. Despite these assurances, the managing committee declined to issue the necessary approval.
Society Committee Cites General Body Resolution of September 28
Defending the denial, society office-bearers maintain that the decision is neither directed against any particular faith nor aimed specifically at Navratri. Management officials stated that a general body meeting was convened on September 28, during which a resolution was adopted to disallow large-scale community events within the premises. According to the committee, this broad restriction was introduced to preserve long-term peace and security following the bitter public controversy that unfolded earlier in the year. Officials insisted that the rejection of the festival request is merely an enforcement of this standard general decision rather than targeted religious prejudice.
Residents Register Protest, Umashankar Nag Files Complaint
The management's refusal has caused significant dismay among the families who had planned the festive calendar. Residents argued that rather than imposing a blanket prohibition, the committee could have laid down explicit safeguards, time restrictions, and sound limits, which the participants were already willing to honour. Umashankar Nag, a resident of the society, lodged an official complaint challenging the management's posture. He contended that denying permission for a religious and cultural gathering despite the applicants' pledge to observe all statutory safeguards is entirely unreasonable.
Matter Escalates to Thane Deputy Registrar Office
The disagreement has now reached cooperative regulatory authorities. Aggrieved residents previously approached the office of the Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies for Thane taluka to seek institutional redress. The Deputy Registrar's office subsequently issued instructions asking the housing society to review the grievances and take appropriate action in accordance with cooperative housing law and registered society bye-laws. Residents and management alike are now watching whether administrative rules or the general body's September 28 resolution will govern the final outcome.
Background: The May 2026 Goat Placement Controversy
Poonam Estate had previously made headlines in May 2026 when strong objections were raised by some occupants over the temporary sheltering of goats within the compound ahead of Bakrid. That confrontation rapidly intensified, drawing in the local police and the municipal corporation to contain rising tempers. The friction eventually escalated into confrontations between two community groups, resulting in police filing a formal FIR. A subsequent fact-finding report revealed that the central dispute was confined to housing the animals temporarily in common spaces, distinct from the question of conducting slaughter on the premises. The strict stance taken by the committee today stems directly from the fallout of that earlier crisis.
