India, March 20 -- As the nine-day Navaratri festival began on Thursday, residents on routes connecting key temples complained that unchecked religious processions at night with blaring boomboxes are putting them through a harrowing time.

A resident of Mayur Vihar phase-1, pocket- 4, on the condition of anonymity, said, "At Mayur Vihar-Noida link flyover on Wednesday, around 9:30pm, on my way back home, I found a procession with a cart installed with five to six loudspeakers. The sound was so loud that I could feel the vibrations on my bike."

He said the cart was moving so slowly that it took him several minutes to pass the procession.

Secretary of Resident Welfare Association (RWAs) Friends Colony, Triveni Mahajan, said that although ...