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Less of the noisiest crackers, but Diwali remains noisy well past deadline in Mumbai

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Anti noise activists have complimented the Mumbai Police and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board for ensuring noisiest crackers were unavailable for sale this year, after repeated studies from Awaaz Foundation and the MPCB showed certain crackers always violated permissible decibel limits. “Due to vigilance of the Police towards those selling noisy bombs, the number of such bombs and the decibel levels of the bombs have greatly reduced,” Sumaira Abdulali of the Awaaz Foundation observed in letters to Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria and Member-Secretary MPCB Rajeev Kumar Mital

Abdulali rued that on Diwali night, despite the time limit restriction for firecrackers being 10pm, police personnel on the ground and those manning the police control room at the emergency helpline number 100 were apparently unaware of this and informed callers (including herself) that noise was allowed until midnight on Diwali.

Based on her complaint, the control room sent one police van with three constables and one officer to ‘control’ the noise on the entire Marine Drive sea-face around 10.20pm. When this did not 'control' the noise, at 12.15 am, another van was sent after another complaint. This hadn't stopped loud crackers being burst well past 12.45 am when she left the site.

Drawing attention to the noise rules, various Supreme Court and Bombay High Court orders which clarify that any extension in time limits beyond 10pm may be given only for loudspeaker use and that firecrackers could not be permitted for such time extension, Abdulali pointed out how the Mumbai Police enforces the 10pm deadline for Diwali for past several years. “We request that the law be implemented in letter and spirit by enforcing the 10pm deadline strictly for all the remaining days of the Diwali celebrations and for any future events where firecrackers are commonly used,” she has said.

She also raised an alarm about the prevalence of crackers exploding sideways. “At Marine Drive, some crackers, going sideways, exploded in the middle of moving traffic,” she said and lamented, “Unfortunately, due to hardly any police presence even at this busy and popular spot for bursting crackers, no action to control this was taken.”

 

Time     Place Decibel Level                 Comment
7.30 PM Pali Hill, Bandra West 96 dB Mostly light based cracker, few bombs
8.00 PM Carter Road, Bandra West   No crackers
8.15 PM Santacruz, Linking Road   No crackers
8.30 PM Juhu 92 db Stray bombs on road
9.00 PM SV Road, Bandra West   Stray crackers at a distance
9.15 PM Worli sea face 92 db Mixed crackers mostly anars
10.00 PM Marine Drive 95 dB Police who were present including officers refused to implement the 10pm deadline.
10.15 PM Marine Drive 105.5 dB Call to Control Room brought 1 van including 3 constables and 1 officer to control noise.
12 midnight Marine Drive 83 - 99 dB No action from Police to control noise
Marine Drive
1.15 am 24th October Terrace of‘Antilla’, Peddar Road   Complaint from resident
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