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India halts ‘Jai Ho’ road music after sleep complaints from Mumbai residents
The continuous and high-pitched music was especially troubling for elderly people, particularly during nighttime hours, said the residents
- PUBLISHED: Sun 29 Mar 2026, 5:13 PM
Residents of south Mumbai’s upscale Breach Candy neighbourhood have voiced strong frustration in recent weeks after the civic body introduced “musical rumble strips” at the entrance of an underground tunnel. The strips played the Oscar-winning song Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire on a loop, with many residents saying the constant music disrupted their sleep. Authorities have now stepped in, deciding to switch off the music between 7pm and 11am.
A civic official told the media in Mumbai that it had assessed the noise levels in the homes of residents along the road and found them to be as high as 60-65 decibels. “Considering the traffic in the area, we have decided to stop it at night,” he said.
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Members of the Breach Candy area local management and the residents' forum said the continuous and high-pitched music was especially troubling for elderly people, particularly during nighttime hours. The "musical rumble strips" — first of its kind in India — was launched by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in February.
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“The concept is based on Hungarian technology, implemented in the first phase of a 500-metre stretch of road on the Mumbai coastal road,” Fadnavis had remarked while inaugurating it. “The intention is to implement the concept of Sangeet Marg in the future as well.”
But some have questioned why Jai Ho is being played and not Marathi tunes. Amit Thackeray, leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, said in a post on X that it would have been a different experience and a moment of pride had a Marathi melody been played on the road. “But we have again lost our identity," he said. Songs by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar or the state song, Garja Maharashtra Majha could have been played, he added.
The musical strips are part of Mumbai’s ambitious coastal road project, which includes major developments such as the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Bandra-Versova Sea Link, and upcoming corridors like Versova-Bhayandar and Uttan-Virar. Authorities say the 120-km coastal corridor is set to transform mobility across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and significantly boost its growth.
