In a bid to control the spiralling decibel levels during the New Year Eve celebrations, the National Green Tribunal has directed the authorities to crack down on vehicles with DJ systems. The officials have been directed to confiscate such vehicles.
“Mobile D.J. systems, which are being operated without permission of RTOs, shall not be allowed to be used at any other place and the Authorities are free to take appropriate action including confiscation of such vehicles, if so required,” a bench of the western zone of National Green Tribunal ruled recently. The western zone is situated in Pune.
The tribunal was hearing an application seeking interim relief regarding noise pollution between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. on new year eve. “We have filed an application seeking a policy framework for restrictions on the use of firecrackers in the country. But we sought interim relief regarding new year celebrations, as decibel levels go very high during that period,” advocate Asim Sarode, representing petitioner Ravindra Bhusari, told The Hindu from Pune.
According to the order, the Inspector General of Police has been directed to issue instructions to the Traffic Police to monitor the vehicles which are plied during the new year celebrations.
These vehicles should already be tested by the RTO at source. All such vehicles which have mobile DJ systems mounted on them, and which have not been pre-tested, will have to be identified and stopped.
The tribunal has said that the police could use the footage of the CCTVs installed in various parts of the cities to monitor and identify such vehicles.
“There is no denial to the fact that general public members are in frenzy during evening of 31st December, 2014, to welcome New Year and create unbearable sound/noise through various means. The real question is how to arrest such a menace. The police may take care of behaviour group of such people creating excessive noise on the streets and warn them initially,” the bench of Justice V R Kingaonkar and Dr Ajay Deshpande observed.
“We direct that the mobile vehicles mounted with DJ. Systems or similar music systems creating sound in excessive decibels than permissible limits, which are not tested at the source by the RTOs, shall be disallowed to be operated and plied on the road, by the RTOs, and traffic police. They may be identified through CCTVs operating in the city or by the traffic police, who may contact each other through Control Room. The Inspector General of Police, shall give instructions to the Traffic Police accordingly,” it said further.
