Campaign to cut down on noise pollution

Pune/AURANGABAD: One need not put up with unbearably high noise during the upcoming Ganeshotsav or for that matter any religious festival. A group of socio-legal lawyers has issued legal notices to all regional offices of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for failing to control noise pollution while urging people to call up the board and lodge complaints.
Advocate Asim Sarode and his associates working across the state have issued notices to all the 12 regional offices of the MPCB, the principal secretary of the environment department and the state government for failing to monitor and maintain reports on noise levels during festivals.
The group said the MPCB has failed to control noise pollution at places of religious worship. "We are not against celebration of any festival or the practice of religious beliefs. But such celebrations should not cause inconvenience to others. There are very clear laws that are violated with impunity and the authorities have failed to take action," Sarode said.
The notice asks the MPCB to furnish reports of action taken along with names of all Ganesh mandals that have violated the norms. It also seeks a list of religious places in every area and district found guilty of regularly violating the norms.
Anil Mohekar, regional officer of MPCB, Pune, admitted that his office does not monitor noise levels during Ganeshotsav as the exercise is carried out only during Diwali. "In any case we do not have any authority to take action against the offenders. We are only a regulatory body. We can only alert the police and it is their responsibility to take action," Mohekar said.
The officer said the MPCB always carries out a survey of firecrackers available in the market and tests them to check if the sound given is within permissible limits. "The list of firecrackers is handed over to the police and it is up to them to take action against the stalls," said Mohekar.
The lawyers have threatened to take the matter to the National Green Tribunal or the high court if the MPCB fails in its "legal responsibilities and judicious duties."
"For now, an attempt is being made to mobilize public opinion. We want people to file complaints at the regional office of the MPCB if there is a violation of sound pollution norms. We will assist people file complaints," Sarode said, urging people to forward a copy of their complaints to their office in Pune.
"In July, the Bombay high court had said that unauthorized loudspeakers must be confiscated irrespective of whether they were installed for Ganeshotsav, Navratra or at mosques. The court said that action shall be taken irrespective of religion, caste or community of the guilty and had urged all citizens to come together against noise pollution. Our initiative
across the state is in response to the high court's appeal by Justices V M Kanade and Pramod Kode," he added. "Society is constantly facing continuous noise pollution from various sources. It is putting the normal lives of people into trouble.
As per the Supreme Court's guidelines, there shall not be any kind of noise between 10 pm and 6 am," Sarode added.