The bookings have been cancelled and the families are now looking for alternative accommodation to conduct marriages in the new season beginning Akshaya Tritiya, May 16.

The ADA in its fresh notice to the 16 banquet halls, has reminded them of the High Court stay on the writ petition filed by six residents of the colony, the oldest planned urban cluster in Agra. "If the Barat Ghars went ahead with bookings it would be a clear contempt of the court," the notice added.

The war against noise pollution caused as a result of marriage ceremonies and Barats, was initiated by Sanjeev Chaturvedi who along with five others filed the writ. Talking to Agratoday.in Sanjeev said "we can now hope to live in peace and tranquility which was denied to us for so many years."

Sudhir Gupta, a financial consultant living in the colony said "the colony has big spacious houses. With family sizes reducing, the owners thought of converting their houses into Barat Ghars which in course of time generated huge profits to some. Others also followed suit. So we now have 16 big Barat Ghars in one colony, the maximum number anywhere."

The residents had been regularly complaining to the police and the pollution control departments, but no action was taken against the banquet halls. Later half a dozen took the legal route and filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court in 2004.

Sanjeev Chaturvedi said the order was applicable for whole of UP. Also all kinds of commercial activities had been stayed by the court order, he added.