The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to prepare a noise pollution map and remedial action plan to solve the issue across the country.
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said: “We direct CPCB to prepare noise pollution map and identify hotspots and categorise the cities with specified hotspots and propose a remedial action plan. Such report may be furnished within three months.” Noting that the CPCB has established noise monitoring mechanism in seven cities, the green panel asked it to consider setting up of such mechanisms in all cities where noise pollution is beyond permissible limits.
Further, all State pollution control boards have been directed to undertake noise level monitoring along with police departments concerned.
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“The police departments of all the States and Union Territories may obtain the noise monitoring devices within a period of three months and specification of such devices may be finalised in consultation with the respective state PCBs and pollution control committees,” the Bench said.
Public address systems
Additionally, the green panel suggested manufacturing of public address systems with equipment that can monitor the noise pollution parameters and alert authorities once the prescribed limits are crossed.
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“The CPCB may explore the possibility in consultation with the leading manufacturers of public address systems and other manufacturers of such instruments to manufacture such equipments wherein the noise meters with data loggers are fitted therein so that as and when the prescribed parameters are violated, the same gets recorded and retrieved by the regulators for fixing the responsibility on the violators,” the Bench said.
It added: “The CPCB may also down the scale of compensation to be recovered including conditions on which equipment seized is to be released within one month.”