Case against Shiv Sena for flouting noise norms

Shivaji Park police on Saturday registered a case against the Shiv Sena for causing noise pollution and violating provisions of the Environment Protection Act during its annual Dussehra rally.

The Bombay High Court had granted conditional permission to keep noise levels to a maximum of 60 decibels (dB). Suresh Unawne, senior inspector of the Shivaji Park police station, explained that  the permissible limit in the area is 45dB, but on certain occasions during the rally, the noise level fluctuated between 65dB and 105dB, with 105dB being the highest reading.

This was in clear violation of the rules.

The complainant in the case is a police officer from the Shivaji Park police station. Sumaira Abdulali, Awaaz Foundation convener said, “This deliberate violation of court orders should not go unpunished.” According to Abdul Ali, the decibel levels recorded at Uddhav’s speech this year oscillated between 64dB and 81dB; during Bal Thackeray’s speech, the figures were 63dB and 81dB.

Local resident Ashok Rawat is a trustee of Wacom Trust which filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the HC and got the park area notified as silence zone. “Unless the government dedicates a special squad in the police force to fight noise pollution, these cases will not reach their logical conclusion,” he said.

The permissible noise limit in commercial areas during the night is 55db.