If govt approves, Sr inspectors can fine you Rs 1 lakh for noise pollution
State govt is planning to give senior inspectors power to book noise polluters under the extremely stringent Environment Protection Act; currently only DCP-level officers can enforce the Act ………..ANEESH PHADNIS
Be careful while bursting sutli bombs this year, because you just might be hauled up for the ear-splitting decibel levels under the Environment Protection Act which may cost you a whopping Rs 1 lakh in fine and maybe even a jail term. That’s because the state government is planning to give senior police inspectors the power to take action against violators under the Act which attracts the steep fine. Earlier only officers of the level of deputy police commissioners were allowed to register cases under the Act.
The move comes in the wake of writ petition on the issue being heard in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. Last month, the high court questioned the state government why no cases against noise pollution were registered under the Environment Protection Act and instructed Nagpur police commissioner Praveen Dixit to submit a report on cases registered during Navratri Utsav.
Despite the HC notification in 2000 which brought noise pollution under the stringent Environment Protection Act, police have been registering non-cognisable offences against noise pollution under the Bombay Police Act which attracts a very mild punishment.
Deputy police commissioners and superintendents have been notified as authorities to enforce the rules. This means that a complaint of noise pollution has to be verified by a DCP rank officer before a case is registered under the Environment Protection Act. Hence, the home department has proposed that the rules be amended to give senior inspectors the power to implement the Act.
The proposal will be forwarded to the environment department which will have to take a decision on the proposal. Principal secretary Anna Dani confirmed the move.
“We would like to give powers to senior inspectors,’’ she said.
Anti-pollution activist Sumaira Abdulali said “We have raised objections about registering of noise pollution cases under the Bombay Police Act. It is too lenient.’’
However, police officers caution that making a case under the Environment Protection Act involves a procedure like a panchnama and measurement of decibel levels. The police have also in the past complained that it was difficult to implement the act as their priorities, especially during public festivals, are crowd control and law and order.
The police have been registering non-cognisable offences against noise pollution under the Bombay Police Act which attracts a very mild punishment