IMMERSION TIME
Silent zone rules drown in revelry
Mumbai: Even the first day of Ganpati immersions, which is usually considered quieter than the final round of visarjan, took a toll on the city’s silent zones. The noise levels reached 110 decibels on Thursday even though the permissible limit is 50 DB.
Sumaira Abdulali of the Awaaz Foundation said revellers thumped drums, burst firecrackers and shouted slogans outside the gate of Jaslok Hospital, Pedder Road, on Thursday evening. “Even patients on the 16th floor of the hospital could not block out the noise after shutting the windows,’’ she said.
According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control Rules) 2000, no noise-producing equipment or firecrackers could be used in silent zones (area comprising not less than 100 m around hospitals, educational institutions and courts).
Abdulali has written to commissioner of police Hassan Gafoor to express the nongovernmental organisation’s concern that this year too, the police may not be able to curb rising noise levels, especially in silent zones.
“The noise readings for the last couple of years indicate that the police were not effective in keeping noise below maximum permissible levels, particularly after 10 pm. The readings also indicate that noise levels from fire crackers, plastic membrane drums and other instruments exceeded permissible levels, particularly when carried in processions passing through silence zones and after 10 pm,’’ said Abdulali in her letter.
She also requested that no loudspeaker permissions be issued in any silence zone during the festival season and that no one should by permitted to use noise-producing instruments or fire crackers in silence zones. “We request that in case any violations occur, the police should confiscate equipment in accordance with the high court order of October 5, 2006,’’ she said adding that the a Bombay high court order dated March 30, 2005 made the zonal DCPs responsible for ensuring compliance with ambient noise levels.
Abdulali said that even the helpline numbers where citizens could report increasing noise levels have fallen flat. “I called up 100 and 103 myself to lodge a complaint but found that it’s just not possible. There is a recorded message and no one on the other end.’’
Abdulali said the law was clear and that citizens relied on the police to enforce the law. “This is the law and it’s not up to the police to interpret and make exceptions for certain silent zones,’’ she said.