The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to be present in court on October 17 for not complying with the court’s multiple orders to check noise pollution and to procure meters to test noise levels.
A division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and A.A. Sayed was hearing a bundle of petitions and public interest litigations (PILs) tagged together on the rising noise pollution in the city. Some petitions have raised concern about religious pandals that cause inconvenience to people and do not comply with noise pollution rules. One PIL has stated that the noise levels are constantly higher than the prescribed levels, while others have highlighted the use of loudspeakers, firecrackers in silent zones, and the rise in the number of helipads in the city and State. A petition filed by NGO Awaaz Foundation in 2007 had argued for the need to measure noise pollution caused by construction activity and traffic.
In the last hearing, the court was informed that 1,843 meters were required to test the decibel level, but would be procured only by September-end, after the Ganapati festival. The court had remarked that the State government’s approach was “very casual”. On Tuesday, the court said that the State was deliberately delaying the matter. Ganeshotsav had concluded, and the ongoing Navaratri festival would also get over before the State acts, it said. The court said the authorities don’t want noise levels to be checked during Diwali, and directed the Additional Chief Secretary (home) to be present in court on October 17 for not complying with its orders.
In an order passed in August, the court had said that Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, are statutory in nature, and all the authorities are bound to comply with the rules. No loudspeaker can be used without obtaining the licence to do so, it had said. The court had also said the contempt notice issued to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi was still pending.
The court said the ongoing Navaratri festival would get over before the
State acts
