At first it was the bhajan mandals in the local trains and now, loud mobile ring tones and songs have been contributing to the high level of noise pollution in the city’s local trains.

Irresponsible behaviour by youth, college students and the middle-aged commuters, as they play songs loudly on mobile phones in trains has irked fellow commuters.

The Western Railway has taken up the issue and has started appealing to the commuters to refrain from disturbing others by playing songs.

"As per the Railways Act, those who are creating a nuisance for the commuters should be punished. This also includes creating nuisance by playing songs loudly on mobile phones," said Sharat Chandrayan, chief PRO of Western Railways.

Chandrayan added that keeping this in mind, the authorities have appealed to the commuters through announcements to keep the decibel levels low.

Several times, when other commuters try to stop this inconsiderate behaviour, the person either chooses to ignore the request or it leads to an altercation.

"I hate people who do not care about others. I feel that they do not have any civic sense. After getting irritated by these loud songs, I have asked people to lower the volume. I have observed that when you scold these people in front of a crowd, they feel insulted. But they should have thought of this before playing the song loudly," said Amod Sathe, a daily commuter from Dombivli to Vikhroli.

The commuters' organisation has also raised their voice on this issue. "If people want to listen to songs, they should use earphones. Is it that difficult? Why do you have to disturb others? The same thing applies to bhajan mandals. No one is objecting to their devotion to God, but it is a personal matter and should not done in public. There are temples, where devotees can go and sing bhajans. The train is definitely not the place," said Shailendra Kamble, conveyor of Pravas Adhikar Andolan Samiti.

Kamble mentioned that, by the time a commuter complains to a policeman, the train reaches the next station and it becomes impossible to trace the culprits.

The railways, a few months ago, had imposed a fine of Rs 500 and imprisonment of up to six months, if found performing bhajans in trains.

Right-wing parties such as the Shiv Sena had objected to the decision, claiming that it was an attempt to play with the emotions of a particular community.

PC Sinha, divisional security commissioner, mentioned that the police authorities take action when such complaints are registered.